Telangana to check water loss
Efforts on to use Krishna regenerated water fully in TS
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2015-04-18 01:11 GMT
Hyderabad: The Telangana state major irrigation department is gearing up to arrest the Krishna river regenerated water flowing into AP, especially to Pulichintala. It has decided to construct shutters, check-dams and lift schemes to utilise the waters within Telangana. On instructions from Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, major irrigation minister T. Harish Rao has conferred with officials and told them to take necessary action.
“Yes we were told to construct as many check-dams, and lift schemes to see that regenerated water is fully utilised in Telangana territory only. We estimate nearly 30 per cent of regenerated water under Nagarjunasagar Left Bank canal goes to Pulichintala in AP,” Nagarjunasagar Dam chief engineer Ch. Purushottam Raju told this newspaper.
Regenerated water means the water once used either for domestic or agriculture purposes will generate certain quantum of water that goes into the system. Besides this excess use, seepage, leakages from structures also account for regenerated flows. It is estimated that out of the water used for domestic purposes, 85 per cent will go back to the system. Similarly, it is 15 per cent in respect of the water used for raising crops.
For example, whatever water is released to Nagarjunasagar Left Bank Canal that caters to Nalgonda and Khammam districts, 30 per cent of water that will be regenerated will be back in Krishna River through rivulets and streams. That was the reason, though there will be no inflows either from Nagarjunasagar or from Musi, the Pulichintala Dam will get regenerated inflows. Telangana is also contemplating construction of minor irrigation schemes and check-dams to prevent Musi river surplus do not go to Pulichintala.
“There are gates only for all 49 Majors under NS Left canal. Similar structures are not there since ages for all the minors, sub-minors, distributory channels etc. It is usual practice by farmers to raise paddy but they do not allow the shutters to operate in a systematic way. This has resulted in the entire canal distributory net work to be full of water always, so water is not reaching the tail end areas and everything is being utilised in excess in upper reaches. This has resulted in regenerated waters reaching Pulichintala,” said K. Vijaya Bhaskara Rao, superintending engineer NS Left Bank Canal.
“We will go for construction of check-dams and other structures, if need be lift irrigation schemes, to utilise the regenerated water,” Mr Harish Rao said. Meanwhile, AP principal secretary (irrigation) B. Adityanath Das said, “We will watch the situation and if we feel TS is violating the rules, we will raise the matter with concerned authorities.”