ANANTAPUR : Though there are copious inflows following heavy rains in the upper catchment areas of the Tungabhadra High-Level Main Canal, which was designed to irrigate 1.45 lakh acres in drought-prone Anantapur district, the same could not be utilised by the farmers allegedly due to the negligence of the officials. The modernisation works of the canal, meant to strengthen the canal and its distributary channels, have not moved an inch. As against its discharge capacity of 3,500 cusecs, only 1,800 cusecs can be discharged through the canal.
With the canal bunds weakened at places, the water could not be discharged at full capacity, as there is a possibility of a breach. There was no supply of water through the canal for three-and-a-half months and no repair works were taken up and all that had been done was to prepare the cost estimates.Today, though the State can take 32 TMC of water from Tungabhadra project, not more than 26 TMC of water is being taken owing to lack of proper canal and distributary system.
HLMC of Tungabhadra enters Anantapur district at its 100 km mark and continues till 189 km mark. In 2007, with an objective to increase the discharge capacity of the canal by 4,000 cusecs, modernisation works were taken up with an estimated cost of `309 crore. The works were to be executed in six phases. Till now, only 57 per cent of the works have been completed. After the YSRC came to power, the works came to a standstill, with the government cancelling all the contracts awarded for executing the six packages. Till date, there has been no progress whatsoever on the issue. Leave alone permission for the works, only `10 crore was allocated in the budget for the first phase of the works. The allocated amount is not even sufficient to take up temporary repair works, let alone permanent ones.
According to sources in the department, the under tunnel channel on streams of Kannekallu subdivision was damaged at several places. Aqueducts in Yerragunta, Gannigera, Ambapuram, Cherloapalle, Bidurukontam and other villages were damaged. The canal bund was also damaged. Temporarily breaches of the canal and its distributary channels were plugged with sand bags. Farmers fear that heavy inflows could damage the canal bunds anytime. They complain that at several places water was wasted due to breaches. The needed canal lining works were not taken up. Bridges on the canal at Durgahennuru and Meenahalli collapsed and on January 17 this year, the bridge collapse at Uddehalle took the life of a woman worker.
Farmers are pointing out that HLMC works in Karnataka were taken up on a war-footing and in February, when the water release of the canal was stopped, tenders were called and the works commenced in April. The 1,800 metres lining works were completed at Mundari (93 km point of the canal) and at the 83 km point at Bellary, another 1,700 metres lining works was completed. In five years, spending `1,000 crore canal modernisation works were completed and now even hard rock canal bedding works have been taken up and are expected to be completed by the month-end.
When contacted, Rajasekhar, HLMC superintendent engineer, Anantapur, said `13 crore is needed for temporary repairs of the canal bunds damaged last year and once the permission is accorded, works will be taken up. He said for the balance works of modernisation, it is estimated to cost `300 crore and proposals are being prepared.