ADILABAD: The Irrigation department has floated tenders to remove silt from the Kadam irrigation project in Nirmal district. Officials plan to complete the tendering process by the end of this month, with the work set to begin in the summer season to ensure completion before the monsoon. This will allow the project to store water at full capacity and avoid overflow issues during floods.
The project’s full reservoir level (FRL) is 7.630 tmcft, but officials have identified that approximately 3 tmcft of this capacity is occupied by silt. The project, with 68,150 acres of ayacut, has been unable to provide adequate water due to silt accumulation, particularly during the Rabi season, sources said, adding that farmers have increasingly relied on borewells for cultivation as the project struggles to release sufficient water each year.
Along with Kadam, two other projects in the state are being taken up as a pilot desilting initiative. Tenders have been invited from private companies, with the last date for submissions set as January 27.
Sand to be sold
Constructed in 1949 on the Kadam River, the project has not undergone silt removal since its inception. As a result, officials have been unable to accurately gauge the reservoir’s flood-handling capacity. In the past two years, water overflowed the dam during heavy rains.
Currently, the water level in the project stands at 5.871 tmcft, compared to 3.950 tmcft on the same day last year. The total outflows last year amounted to 38.230 tmcft.
The desiltation process will involve separating silt into sand and soil. The sand will be sold for commercial purposes while the soil will be distributed for agricultural use. The officials have identified 100 acres of land for this purpose, with 20 acres allocated for processing and the remaining 80 acres for silt storage.
The government has also announced a fixed price for desiltation per tonne.