Andhra Pradesh: RLIS project DPR submitted to Krishna River Management Board

As per the word given by Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's during his meeting with the Apex Council, Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme's comprehensive Project Report (DPR) has been sent to the Central Water Board (CWC) by the State Water Resources Department officials. The CWC wrote a letter to the Krishna Board on Monday seeking its views on the matter. In the DPR, it stated that the main aim of the project is to provide drinking water facility from Srisailam project through PHR (Pothireddipadu Head Regulator) to Teluguganga, Galeru Nagari, SRBC, KC Canal strategic irrigation, Kurnool, YSR, Chittoor, Nellore districts, Chennai.

In 2015, the Telangana government, without seeking the permission of the Krishna Board, CWC and the Apex Council, undertook the Palamuru-Rangareddy and Dindigul excavations to move two TMCs of water per day from the 800-foot water level in Srisailam. Similarly, it has taken steps to increase the lifting capacity of Kalwakurthy from 25 to 40 TMC to lift 0.4 TMC per day while SLBC capicity from 30 to 40 TMC to lift 0.5 TMC per day.

It is estimated that the Srisailam reservoir can move 44 thousand cusecs per day as per the current design through PHR only when the water level is 881 feet. But going by the records of the last ten years, the water level at that level is unlikely to be even 15 to 20 days a year. Moreover, when the water level in Srisailam is 854 feet, only seven thousand cusecs reach the canal through the PHR while if the water level is at 841 feet not even a drop of water will come, which will cause a problem of drinking water.

In this backdrop, to overcome this situation, the state government has taken up Rayalaseema excavations to lift the PHR below 800 feet from the water level in Srisailam at a rate of three TMCs per day, with the aim of making effective use of the 512 TMCs allotted to the state by the board.

The Apex Council, headed by Union Water Resources Minister Gajendrasingh Shekhawat, met on October 6 to resolve differences between the two states over the use of Krishna and Godavari river waters. Rejecting the objections raised by the Telangana government during the meeting. CM YS Jagan strongly argued that these excuses were taken to solve the drinking water problems in Rayalaseema and Chennai, to better strategically irrigate under the old projects. It was clearly stated that no reservoirs would be built to store the new water.

In this context, Apex Council Chairman Gajendrasingh Shekhawat has asked the two states to give DPRs of new projects. As part of this, the Rayalaseema Upliftment DPR was submitted to the CWC by the State Water Resources Department on the 16th of last month. The Union Ministry of Forests and Environment has already ruled that the project does not require environmental clearance, in line with the state government's contention. In this regard, the Krishna Board, which is studying the matter, will approve the DPR within a week and submit a report, after which the CWC will give technical approval, the irrigation experts said. The Apex Council will then give the green signal to the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation as per the provisions of the bifurcation act.