VIJAYAWADA: Irrigation minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao has demanded continuous release of 12,000 cusecs of water per day from Nagarjuna Sagar project (NSP) to Prakasam Barrage. According to the agreement made between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states, 12,000 cusecs of water per day is being released from the NSP to Prakasam Barrage from August 5 to 12. But then, the release of water was stopped and then resumed to strike a balance between power generation and irrigation purpose, which in turn is causing problems to the Krishna delta farmers, he pointed out.
Addressing the mediamen at irrigation office in the city Saturday, the minister said that only 3.26 TMC of water is being received at Prakasam Barrage in the four days as against 4.14 TMC. “Already the Kharif cultivation in Krishna delta, which should begin in June/July, has been delayed due to weak monsoon. As the delta is vulnerable to cyclone during October and November, plantations have to be taken up immediately. So, we request the NSP officials to avoid irregular release of water to the Barrage,” he explained.
“As the water level in Srisailam Reservoir touched 875 ft, we proposed to increase the release of water to 15,000 cusecs, after August 12, and a decision will be taken to this effect during the meeting with the engineers-in-chief of both the states,” he added.
‘Jagan Wrote to RBI against Loan Waiver’
The irrigation minister came down heavily on YSR Congress chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy allegedly for sending fax messages to the RBI from a fax centre in Hyderabad, stating that all the 13 districts in AP are prosperous and there is no need for rescheduling of loans. Jagan is making all possible efforts to stop the loan waiver promised by the TDP government, he said.