Kamareddy: The lifeline of the composite Nizamabad district, the Nizamsagar project has dried up as the water level in the reservoir reached dead storage level. As a result, the ensuing yasangi (or rabi) crops and drinking water needs of the district will be adversely affected. The fate of the Singur project, a balancing reservoir to the Nizamsagar project, is in a similar condition. There is no alternative source of irrigation and drinking water under the Nizamsagar project.
As against the full reservoir level of 1,405 feet, the current level in the project is 1,376.42 ft. Of total 17.803 tmc storage, the storage level on Monday was 0.832 tmc. At the beginning of the kharif season, the Nizamsagar project had 2.290 tmc water and irrigation officials released 1.1 tmc.
The water-level is worrying farmers in the ayacut area of the project in Kamareddy and Nizamabad districts. Usually, water is released from the Singur project to supplement the ayacut of Nizamsagar. But the alarming storage level in Singur has affected the Nizamsagar project.
K. Govind Rao, a farmer from Kotagiri mandal, told Deccan Chronicle that farmers have lost hopes of getting water from Nizamsagar. A large extent of land under the ayacut of the project is left without crops in the yasangi season, he said. Only farmers, who have borewell facility cultivated yasangi crops.
“We are hopeful that Kaleshwaram water will bring the previous glory to Nizamsagar in the near future,” he said.
Irrigation and municipal officials are reviewing the situation to cater to the drinking water needs of Nizamabad and Bodhan towns in summer. Built across the Manjira river, about 144 km north-west of Hyderabad, Nizamsagar is the oldest dam in Telangana state.
