Adilabad: The state government, which is focussing on repairs to Kadam project and its canals, hopes to complete the restoration works before the onset of monsoon in order to provide water for kharif in Nirmal and Mancherial districts.
Irrigation department officials are making efforts to store the water in the project with the rainwater in monsoon. The water levels have reached dead storage after discharge of water downstream. Recently, the state government released five crore towards the repair works of the Kadam project. Some of its crest gates are getting stuck and not functioning when they are lifted to discharge the water downstream following heavy inflows during rains in the last week of July 2023. The project capacity is 700 feet while its full capacity is seven TMC. Drinking water, under Mission Bhagiratha, is being supplied to Khanapur, Dasthurabad, Jannaram and Kadam mandals from the Kadam pump house.
The counterweights were also removed and washed away in 1995 and 2018 following the heavy floods to the Kadam project.
The project was constructed to provide water to 66450 acres under the Left canal and 1700 acres under the Right canal covering Kadam, Jannaram, Dandepalli, Luxettipalli and Mancherial mandals.
However, the ayacut area has come down due to various reasons including canal leakages and damages. Ayacut farmers are worried that the water level has reached dead storage in Kadam project, which may hit their standing crops for Rabi, says Mesram Bapurao from Venkatapur village in Jannaram mandal.
Chief of irrigation (E&C) department Anilkumar inspected Kadam project and inquired about the damage to crest gates, iron rope, non-functional machinery and leakages in the canals on Saturday.
He said that they would complete repair work during summer.
