Vijayawada: The Krishna delta is going to face a severe water crisis this summer. According to official reports, nearly 60 villages in the delta alone have been short of drinking water for the last several days. The Krishna district in-charge collector has already submitted a report to the government on the emergency.
The government has released 2 TMC feet of water for the Krishna delta from Nagurjuna-sagar, but only 1 TMC foot has reached Prakasam barrage so far. The water level has reached up to 10.6 feet at Prakasam barrage, but no water reserves are available at Pulichintala where it is almost empty.
Consequently, only 1 TMC foot water could be released from Prakasam barrage, half of which may get evaporated in the canals en route the tail-end areas which are facing the current drinking water crisis.
The situation is no different in several parts of Guntur district which come under the limits of the Krishna southern canal, with water supply possible from the Krishna river only.
As per official reports, several villages in Avanigadda, Kruttivennu, Bantumilli, Kalidindi, Kruttuvenu, Kaikaluru, Nagayalanka and Koduru mandals are facing drinking water scarcity. Though the government has made arrangements to supply water through tanks which are being controlled by the Rural Water Scheme (RWS), the available reserves are not sufficient to meet the people’s needs.
Unless the government releases water from Prakasam barrage additionally, the villages will face a continued drinking water problem of some severity this summer, says Delta Rytanga Samakya president Erneni Nagendranath. He said the government should release water from Nagarjunasagar by getting permission from the Krishna River Management Board.
However, one official said that the water storage level should be maintained at 7.5 feet at Prakasam barrage. This means that only 1 TMC foot to 1.5 TMC feet can be released. The delta may not get water from the Krishna river, given present water levels. Irrigation minister Devineni Uma maheswara Rao said that the present reserves should be utilised carefully and the government would take steps to draw more water from Nagarjunasagar.
