Hyderabad: Irrigation minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Friday directed officials to ensure that farmers who depend on the Sriramsagar Project (SRSP) get adequate irrigation water for the Rabi season, particularly those who have land in the tail end of the project’s canal system.
The minister, who reviewed regulation of water supply in SRSP canals, told irrigation department officials to strictly regulate supplies to ensure there is equitable distribution of water.
The officials informed the minister that a week-on, week-off schedule was being followed since December 25 for water supply and that this system will continue until April 8 this year. Officials also informed that Rabi season required 77.76 tmc ft of water for areas above the Lower Manair Dam (LMD), and another 49.89 tmc ft for farmland below it. At present, the SRSP reservoir has 80.5 tmc ft of water, which is sufficient to meet the needs of areas upstream of the LMD, the officials said.
Uttam Kumar Reddy, taking stock of the situation, urged officials to ensure judicious use of the water to ensure maximum availability to farmers, and ensure proper maintenance of canals. “Adequate storage should be maintained for drinking water and for municipal needs. The government has prioritised agriculture, drinking water, and industrial needs in the allocation plan," he said.
The department is currently following an on-off system to supply irrigation to 9.68 lakh acres of farm land in Nizamabad, Jagtial, Karimnagar, Peddapalli and Warangal districts. Of this, 5,40,171 acres lie upstream of the LMD, covering the constituencies of Jagitial, Koratla, and Balkonda under Zone I, and Choppadandi, Karimnagar, and Dharmapuri under Zone II.
Downstream of the LMD, the project serves 361,078 acres, with Zone I covering constituencies such as Manakondur, Huzurabad, and Parkal, and Zone II extending to Wardhannapet, Palakurthy, and Madhira.
