VIJAYAWADA: Water levels in two major projects in Krishna River -- Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar -- have become a cause for concern. Though the water levels at Almaty project on Krishna river in Karnataka is near full, the water levels in the two major projects on the river in the State is far less than what they were last year. On Saturday, the water level in Srisailam is 20.56 TMCFT while it was 158.63 TMCFT last year on the same day.
In case of Nagarjunasagar, the water level is 115.78 TMCFT as against 139.44 TMCFT last year. When it comes to Pulichintala, with no outflows from Nagarjunasagar and comparatively less rainfall in the catchment area of the Pulichintala project, the water level is very low. As against 6.01 TMCFT last year, the water level stand at 3.62 TMCFT in Pulichintala. The low levels of water in all the major reservoirs is giving sleepless nights to the farmer of the ayacut under the respective reservoirs.
“It is not just irrigation water, the farmers are worried about, but also drinking water in the coming days, if the situation continues,” Y Nagendranath, a farmer leader in Krishna delta pointed out.
He said that going by the past experiences, Karnataka will not release the water downstream of Almaty. Even if there was cloudburst and deluge upstream of Srisailam, Telangana would be pumping out that water for its own needs, before even it reaches Srisailam, he explained.
Farmer leaders in Rayalaseema districts are wondering where has the promised Krishna water for them had gone.
They point out that from Pattiseema, water was released to Prakasam Barrage and subsequently released to eastern and western canal systems of Krishna delta.
The equal amount of the water that need to be saved up in Srisailam and cater to the needs of Rayalseema had not happened, they pointed out and wondered how the State is going to solve the issue. Efforts to contact irrigation officials proved futile.