Repairs of Nagarjunasagar canals, small lifts a priority to increase ayacut: Uttam
HYDERABAD: Irrigation minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Tuesday reiterated the government’s commitment to strengthen the Nagarjunasagar dam, its canal systems and expand the ayacut served by the project. The minister has directed officials to take steps to restore these schemes to their full capacity.
Special focus, he said, must be paid to the small lift irrigation schemes where work can be completed quickly and they can be put to work. There are 334 lift irrigation schemes, either fully or partially operational, with a combined ayacut of 469,138 acres under the project.
The minister directed officials to expedite the works on the Nellikal lift irrigation scheme, which sources water from the Nagarjunasagar reservoir. The scheme, estimated to cost Rs 664.80 crore, aims to provide irrigation to approximately 24,624 acres. Uttam Kumar Reddy instructed officials to divide the project into two phases and ensure the completion of Phase-I to irrigate 7,600 acres by the upcoming Kharif season.
The meeting also decided to go ahead with the construction of a link canal between the High Level Canal and the Low Level Canal, passing through tanks such as Medawaram, Pothunur, Sangaram, Peddavoora and Thungathurthy in Nalgonda district. The project cost is estimated at Rs 62.26 crore.
Another priority work identified was the cement concrete lining of the distributaries of the Low Level Canal under the Srisailam Left Bank Canal, which are in various states of disrepair due to erosion, silt deposits and growth of vegetation.
Due to these issues, the water is not reaching the tail-end areas effectively, and resulting in breaches and waterlogging. Similar repairs will be taken up on the Low Level Main Canal, also known as the Flood Flow Canal of the Nagarjunasagar project which was designed to provide irrigation to 80,000 acres.
The meeting was attended by former minister K. Jana Reddy, Nalgonda MP K. Raghuveer Reddy, MLA Jayaveer Reddy, principal secretary Rahul Bojja, special secretary Prashant Jeevan Patil of the irrigation department and several other senior officials from the irrigation department.
