Hyderabad, Aug.10 (RAHNUMA): Former minister and BRS MLA T. Harish Rao has urged the Telangana government to immediately switch on the pumps under the Kaleshwaram project and commence water pumping to fill reservoirs, including Annapurna, Ranganayaka Sagar, Mallanna Sagar, Kondapochamma Sagar and Baswapur, located across various districts.
In a letter to Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Monday, Harish Rao said the move was essential to protect the interests of farmers dependent on nearly four lakh acres of ayacut under the project.
He said farmers were facing severe distress during the ongoing kharif season due to inadequate rainfall attributed to El Niño conditions and the failure to fill irrigation reservoirs in time, which was affecting crop cultivation.
Harish Rao urged the government to utilise the floodwaters flowing downstream following recent rains in the upper catchment areas and capture every possible drop of water. He called for the Kaleshwaram pumps to be switched on without delay and water pumping commenced in the interest of farmers.
The BRS leader said the Mid Manair Reservoir, an integral component of the Kaleshwaram project, has a full reservoir level capacity of 27 TMC, against the present availability of around 22 TMC. He said heavy rains in the upper catchment areas were expected to increase the inflows into the Godavari.
Against this backdrop, Harish Rao urged the government to switch on the pumps at Mid Manair and commence water pumping, besides filling tanks and check dams, to ensure irrigation water supply to nearly four lakh acres of ayacut.
He also pointed out that the Lower Manair Dam (LMD) has a full reservoir capacity of 24 TMC, while its current water availability was around 6.9 TMC.
Harish Rao appealed to the government to draw water from Mid Manair into the LMD and ensure irrigation water supply to the ayacut under SRSP Stage-II, providing relief to farmers.
