Utakallu reservoir proposed for irrigation of farmlands

Rayadurgam (Anantapur): Minister for Housing and Information Kalava Srinivasulu has proposed a new irrigation project, the one which will come to the rescue of farmers by way of protective irrigation to crops which starve mid-way for want of water. Keeping the farmers of the upper reach of the Tungabhadra ayacut in view, the Minister devised a lift irrigation cum reservoir scheme which will facilitate construction of reservoir to keep in reserve 5 tmcft of water to meet the exigencies of the farmers.

Land has been identified in between Untakallu village and Namakallu at a point between 108-109 km enroute the HLC canal in Bommanahal mandal. Originally, it was planned to have a 10 tmcft capacity reservoir but was toned down to 5 tmcft by the Minister himself to make it more practical and cost-effective.

The Minister told The Hans India that the objective is to keep in reserve 5 tmcft of Tungabhadra water which flows through the HLC canal by building a reservoir at the designated place. The idea is to lift water from the HLC canal and fill the reservoir dubbed as ‘Utakallu Reservoir’. The reservoir also helps store floodwaters especially when floods occur in Karnataka side and when the Tungabhadra dam over flows with floodwater.

Anantapur district has two reservoirs one is MPR reservoir and PABR dam. The third reservoir will be a boon to the upland farmers who are water-starved when crops reach a crucial stage for harvesting. Water from the Tungabhadra dam travels 105 km to reach Bommanahal mandal in Rayadurgam constituency in Anantapur district. 

The HLC water has an ayacut of 2.84 lakh acres through the MPR and PABR dams. The project has become a reality after the Minister prevailed upon the Chief Minister to sanction the new reservoir. At one stage, the new dam had been dubbed as impractical as there is no assured water allocation. The Minister revealed that a Detailed Project Report (DPR) will be prepared after completion of survey and subsequently tenders will be called for the reservoir construction.