JEYPORE: Farmers of Koraput and Kalahandi districts heaved a sigh of relief as the dam water level of major irrigation projects increased following incessant rains in the catchment areas for 10 days. The water levels of the Upper Kolab, Indravati and Telengiri dams were a major concern for both the farmers and authorities as it had reached the dead watermark by the first week of July. Fortunately, the continuous rainfall in catchment areas for the last 10 days not only helped recover the water deficit but also crossed the previous year’s records.
According to official sources, the water level of Upper Kolab which was about 846.07 meters on July 17 last year, touched 846.96 meter by the same date this year. Similarly, the Telengiri reservoir of Jeypore which was at 616.45 meter last year, measured 624.60 meters this year and the Indravati dam which had a 629.88-meter water level last year, measured 631.95 meters this year.
As these three dam projects cater to both the rabi and kharif season crops of Koraput and Kalahandi all year round, the rise in water level comes with the promise of a good agricultural future for the tribal areas. About 1.12 lakh hectares of land is irrigated under the Indravati project while 42,000 hectares and 9,500 hectares of lands are irrigated under Upper Kolab and Telengiri projects respectively.
“Our reservoir water levels have crossed the yardstick and will help proper irrigation in the command areas,” said Anil Panigrahi, Chief Construction Engineer of Indravati in Mukhiguda.