Supply of water from NSP right Canal demanded

Ongole: The farmers’ leaders in the Prakasam district demanded the government to release at least 42 TMC feet of water through the Nagarjuna Sagar Project right canal to the erstwhile Prakasam district as per the quota, and stop the use of water more than the allocated share by the Guntur district, to stop injustice to the local farmers.

The farmers’ leaders Chunduri Rangarao, Vadde Hanumareddy, Pamidi Venkatarao, Mandava Srinivasa Rao, Ch Venkateswarlu, B Subbarao, and others staged a protest in front of the Collectorate in Ongole on Monday and submitted a representation to the DRO R Srilatha.

The farmers explained that the Nagarjuna Sagar project was constructed with a full reserve level of 590 feet and a full storage capacity of 408 TMC feet. The localised ayacut under the Right Canal is 11.17 lakh acres, of which 6.74 lakh acres are under the erstwhile Guntur district, and 4.42 lakh acres are under the erstwhile Prakasam district.

In the 302.05 TMC feet of water allocated for irrigation, they explained that the Government of Andhra Pradesh in its GO No 531, dated 19-12-1977, awarded 132 TMC feet of water each to the right and left canals, and then 79 TMC feet to erstwhile Guntur, and 53 TMC feet to erstwhile Prakasam district from the right canal based on the ayacut. After deducting 20 percent of water as losses, the erstwhile Prakasam district should get 42 TMC feet of water for its quota, they explained.

SE, Irrigation Circle in Ongole sanctioned only 30.69 TMC feet of water to erstwhile Prakasam district in 2018-19, reducing the crop cultivation to only 3.65 lakh acres. The farmers alleged that the Guntur district is utilising excess water more than their quota, and the records prove that they are cultivating more than one lakh acres than the registered ayacut. They said due to this unjustifiable decision of the government, the farmers in the erstwhile Prakasam district reduced paddy cultivation, and are purchasing grass for cattle from the Guntur. They said that the officials recently informed them that they would release water only for the dry crops, even though the project is full up to the brim, at 588.2 feet on Monday. They recollected that the government released water for paddy crops in the Prakasam district in 2005, when the water in the Nagarjuna Sagar project was at just 540 feet, and demanded the government to release the full quantity of water allocated to the erstwhile Prakasam district as per the ayacut, the 42 TMC feet and save the crops. They calculated that the region that was carved out from the erstwhile Prakasam district to form the Bapatla district should get 14 TMC feet, and the present Prakasam district should get 28 TMC feet and asked the government to see the local farmers get the water as per the ayacut.

They suggested the collector conduct a meeting with the local farmers and officials on the issue and persuade the government to release the justifiable quantity of water to the Prakasam farmers.