HYDERABAD: Former MLA and BJP leader Marri Shashidhar Reddy on Saturday questioned the viability of large-scale irrigation projects and urged governments to consider the “four waters” concept proposed by retired engineer T Hanumantha Rao. He also asked Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu to reconsider the Banakacherla project, stating that its feasibility needed to be re-evaluated.
Speaking at a “Meet the Press” event organised by the Telangana Union of Working Journalists (TUWJ), Shashidhar Reddy said minor irrigation projects should be prioritised over major ones.
“Maharashtra has the most extensive irrigation infrastructure and highest storage capacity, yet it also has the highest number of farmer suicides. Large irrigation projects benefit only a few, and certainly not small farmers,” the former MLA said. He opposed the construction of projects dependent on floodwater.
“Floodwater appears once in two or three years. It does not make sense for governments to spend vast sums on large projects that rely on such sporadic water sources,” Shashidhar Reddy said.
Citing the proposed Kodangal Lift Irrigation Project, he said the state government planned to spend Rs 7,000 crore to irrigate one lakh acres. This comes to an average of Rs 7 lakh per acre for a single crop season.
“With the four waters concept, the same area could be covered with just Rs 150 crore, and it would address drought on a long-term basis,” Shashidhar Reddy claimed. He questioned CM A Revanth Reddy’s proposal for the project while pointing out that the government lacked funds.