HYDERABAD: Hopes of raising Rabi crops under Left and Right canals of Nagarjuna Sagar Project (NSP) have been rekindled with heavy inflows to Srisailam project from upper areas.
Officials sources said that Jurala received 70,000 cusecs from Bhima and Krishna. With the inflows from Narayanapur after the gates in upper states are opened, the inflows recorded at Srisailam is 2.10 lakh cusecs. “The inflows will continue for another four to five days. Though, there are no outflows in the projects in Karnataka, the current inflows are transit inflows. The water released from upper states will take another four to five days time to reach Srisaialm,” official sources in irrigation department said.
“We are expecting that the water storage at Srisailam will touch 120 tmc with the latest inflows,” the officials said. With this, the main issue of drinking water for both AP and Telangana is solved. Both the states can draw water for agriculture needs also. Already, Andhra Pradesh officials requisitioned the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) to allot 17 tmc water for agricultural operations on Right Canal of NSP. The water from Srisailam will be released to NSP and then it will be drawn for agriculture and drinking water needs.
TS officials have already requisitioned KRMB to allot 17.5 tmc water for drinking water needs of Hyderabad and Nalgonda. “We will request KRMB to release around 20 tmc also for agricultural operations,” an official said. The three-member committee of KRMB is expected to meet this week and decide quantum of releases to AP and TS.
A large number of farmers under Left bank of NSP raised paddy in Nalgonda district with water from borewells. Once the water is released from NSP, irrigation department is planning to give two to three wettings to paddy. TS is also hoping that paddy under Rabi could be taken up from Nalgonda to Paleru in around 1.5 lakh to 2 lakh acres.
As against the total storage capacity of 215.81 tmc at Srisailam, the water storage on Monday was 86.84 tmc. The officials expect that it would touch 120 tmc in five days. As against the total full reservoir level (FRL) of 885 feet, the current level is 854 feet on Monday. Therefore, AP and TS can draw water up to 835 feet down.
