NIZAMABAD: The accumulation of silt over decades has reduced the storage capacity of Sri Ram Sagar Project (SRSP) drastically. The fall in storage capacity has caused concern among farmers in the water-starved district. Though the dam was constructed in late 70’s the irrigation department has not taken up desilting works to restore the storage level.
The SRSP is situated in Pochampad village of Balkonda mandal in Nizamabad district, which is one the major irrigation projects of Telangana. The project aims to provide irrigation facility to five districts of the state. The construction of SRSP was completed in late 70s and the project initially had a storage capacity of 112 TMC water.
After observing the flood statistics, the irrigation department constructed a Flood Flow Canal. However, the irrigation department is suffering from depleting water storage capacity ever since. During construction of SRSP, silt gates and several other structures were constructed but all these haven’t been functioning ever since its inception.
After conducting several surveys, SRSP officials found that project level currently stands at 90 TMC. Irrigation officials opine that storage capacity has been rapidly decreasing in the last few years. SRSP staff observes that the reason for this is because 8 meters of silt has been deposited and this will further decrease the storage capacity if not acted upon now. When Mission Kakatiya was announced, the irrigation department did not undertake the disliting programme, as it was not financially not viable for the government.
Meanwhile, SRSP project officials prepared an action plan in coordination with MNREGS programme at an estimated cost of `44 crore. The project aids 24 villages in Nizamabad and Adilabad districts and all the farmers encourage the use of SRSP soil in their lands.
“Thorough this programme, MNREGS will provide labour component and farmers should bare charges for soil transportation from project to their lands,” SRSP SE T Satyanarayana told Express. He said that department officials are seriously mulling over a solution for desilting works.
“The project storage capacity decreased to 90 TMC which means in the last 30 years, we have lost 22 to 25 TMC of water which is a great loss,” he explained.
A Congress delegation led by former irrigation minister P Sudharshan Reddy and DCC president Taher Bin Hamdan, who visited the project recently, opined that this was the right time to take up desilting works to protect the project. “The government should give equal importance to construction of new projects and protecting storage capacity of the existing projects,” Reddy explained.