AP Govt diluting Handri Neeva Sujala Sravanthi Project

Anantapur: Left parties, CPI and CPM, and farmers in the district are up in arms against the State government and irrigation authorities for diluting the very character of the Handri Neeva Sujala Sravanthi (HNSS) project conceived with the express purpose of bringing Krishna water to cater to irrigation and drinking water purpose. 

Left party leaders say that the main objective of irrigating 3 lakh odd acres of crop lands had been sidelined and emphasis is more on filling village tanks and catering to drinking water rather than irrigation purpose.

The ruling party leaders are silent on the issue and all people's representatives are bothered only about filling village tanks. HNSS project was originally aimed at irrigating 6.02 lakh acres in Rayalaseema and 3.45 lakh acres alone in Anantapur district.  

CPI district secretary Jagadish told The Hans India that not even 50,000 acres have been irrigated despite HNSS bringing 25 tmcft of Krishna water and HLC bringing 25 tmcft of water from Tungabhadra reservoir. In the first phase of HNSS, 1.14 lakh acres and in the second phase 2.2 lakh acres was the irrigation potential of the project. About 6 tmcft of water has been wasted due to release of water in non-ayacut areas. 

The supply of Krishna water through the HNSS canals to Jeedipalle, Gollapalle, Cherlapalle and Marala reservoirs in Anantapur district and in turn to Dharmavaram, Guntakal, Madakasira and Punganur branch canals and in turn to village tanks is the crux of the HNSS irrigation story but as on today officials are silent on the issue says Jagadish and CPM district secretary Ram Bhoopal. The project first phase was designed to extend irrigation facility to 1.18 lakh acres and supply drinking water to more than 4 lakh population in the district. 

Under the project second phase, it was designed to irrigate 2.27 lakh acres and drinking water to 16 lakh population. The HNSS project was formulated to cater to even other districts of Rayalaseema including Chittoor, Kurnool and Kadapa districts. The project besides irrigating 6 lakh odd acres in the region is designed to supply drinking water to about 33 lakh people enroute the 565-km long canal system.