Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka projects on Tungabhadra river halted after objections

ANANTAPUR: Proposals to build a parallel flood canal for the Tungabhadra (TB) High Level Main Canal by Andhra Pradesh and a supplementary reservoir across the Tungabhadra river near Nowli by the Karnataka government have been halted temporarily following objections by irrigation officials of both states during the recent Tungabhadra Board meeting. The Board has put the issue in the courts of the Chief Ministers of the two states.

It may be noted that the AP government had proposed the construction of a flood canal from the TB reservoir to the state borders and the issue has been pending for the past two decades because of a poor response from Karnataka.

However, Karnataka proposed building a supplementary reservoir across the Tungabhadra river near Nowli upstream area and reportedly planned to mount pressure on AP irrigation officials and Board members to clear it.

In the Tungabhadra Board meeting held two days ago, AP officials objected to a supplementary reservoir even as Karnataka had prepared a detailed and substantiated project report.

Karnataka justified drawing 30 tmc feet from the augmented canal at Nowli to compensate for the heavy silt in the Tungabhadra dam. Objecting to the proposal, Andhra Pradesh mooted a meeting of the tow Chief Ministers to resolve the issue.

Meanwhile, Karnataka objected to the parallel flood canal to use at least 25 tmc ft water from the reservoir during the rainy season. AP officials were asked to prepare proposals for the parallel flood canal from the Tungabhadra dam towards Anantapur to receive at least one tmc ft every day during the rainy season.

Irrigation expert Sharma observed that the proposal to have a meeting of the two chief ministers has again made it a political issue which cannot be solved in time.

"Only the flood canal can be a major source for Anantapur and Kadapa", he said.