Anantapur: HNSS phase-II fails to fulfil needs of drought-hit Kadiri

Anantapur: HNSS phase-II has not fulfilled the needs of severely drought-hit Kadiri area in Anantapur district. The project was aimed to supply water to Kuppam constituency, home turf of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in Chittoor district.

Yogi Vemana Abhyudaya Kendram has planned to take up an agitation for ignoring repeated pleas to mitigate drinking water needs of Gandlapenta mandal, with the help of a separate lift irrigation channel, from the main canal of HNSS project.

Gandlapenta mandal is located at 500-700 metres’ height from sea-level and is facing drinking water shortage and the people have to depend on bore well water, with high rate of fluoride-levels.

Phase-II of the project involves excavation of the main canal for a length of 349 Km (From 216.3 km to 565 km), with four lifts, at about 76.83 m height, including construction of five tunnels, three reservoirs on main canal and two reservoirs on branch canal.

It has been designed to create irrigation potentiality to an extent of 4,04,500 acres and drinking water facilities for 23 lakh in 293 villages in the region en route the main canal and command area by utilising 26 TMC of water through three branch canals —Madakasira, Punganur and Niva, and three distributories, namely Atmakuru, Thamballapalli, Vayalpadu in the drought prone upland areas of Rayalaseema region — Anantapur, Kadapa  and Chittoor districts.

Cherlopalli reservoir is an online reservoir on Punganur branch canal and is located near Cherlopalli in Kadiri mandal in Anantapur district. The scheme envisages to create a reservoir of gross storage 1.608 TMC. The balancing reservoir is proposed to provide an ayacut of 5,500 acres in Kadiri and  Nallacheruvu mandals through Punganur branch canal.

Vemana Abhyudaya Committee founder Dr. Appireddy Harinath Reddy observed that Gandlapenta mandal is located closer to Kadiri area but was not included in the project.

“A separate lift can be set up to pump water at a height of 600 metres towards Gandlapenta from Balepelli Tanda in Nallacheruvu mandal. The supplementary project can solve drinking water problem in 10 Grama Panchayats in Gandlapenta and also help fill water in more than 100 irrigation tanks in Kadiri area, with 0.5 TMC ft of water,” he observed.

The Association of farmers and villagers submitted numerous representations to the government at every level, but action was not initiated. Chief Minister N.  Chandrababu Naidu wanted to divert water to Kuppam and was not at all interested in Kadiri area, YSRC leader Dr. Sidda Reddy alleged.