SANGAREDDY: Managing water as a resource can be quite challenging. The famous Singur Dam, which supplies water to as many as eight Assembly constituencies in erstwhile Medak district, might not have enough water for summer next year. And one wonders if this was bad fortune due to low rainfall, or mismanagement by officials who did not bother to plan ahead.
In August 2017, immediately after a good monsoon, the reservoir was at its full storage level of 29 tmcft. Heady officials, without sparing a thought for saving some water for the coming year, released as much as 15 tmcft to the Nizam Sagar and Sriram Sagar Projects. By December 2017, there was only 14 tmcft left in the tank.
This year, rains weren’t that great. A year later, in December 2018, the reservoir has just 2.5 tmcft. If one discounts the dead storage limit, the practical usable water is only 2 tmfct.
Locals claim the current situation reminds of them of the year 2012. According to them, 2012 was a bad year with below average rainfall. In fact, the situation was so bad that at one point there was only 1 tmfct left in the reservoir. Officials then had to install heavy motors at the crest gates to pump out water for drinking needs.
Meanwhile, farmers of the region are quite angry about the fact that officials chose to release water to Sriram Sagar Project in Karimnagar. They did this instead of supplying it for irrigation during both the Kharif and Rabi seasons this year, they say.
Some farmers Express spoke to said that when they approached officials a few months ago, asking for water to save their dying crops, they were told the water level had dropped and the remaining water was needed for Mission Bhagiratha, the government’s flagship drinking water scheme.
‘Puzzling statements’
A farmer in the region said that Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s recent statements at Banswada in Kamareddy district were puzzling to say the least. He had claimed that the Nizamsagar had plenty of water to serve the region. “Here at Sangareddy, Singur looks like it will dry up soon. So how can the Nizamsagar, which gets its water from here, have enough water,” the farmer wondered. He also added that releasing water to lift irrigation schemes on Manjeera river, seemed unlikely due to present condition.
‘No need to worry, for now’
Speaking to Express, Assistant Engineer at Singur J Mahipal Reddy claims that there is no need to worry right now. “Currently, the available water is sufficient for both Mission Bhagiratha as well as for supply to rural areas. But if we don’t get rains after May next year, our situation might not be so ideal. Last year at this time, we had 14 tmcft of water. Now we have only 2 tmcft if we discount the dead storage level,” he said. Meanwhile, farmers of the region are angry that officials chose to release water to Sriram Sagar Project rather than supply it for irrigation during Kharif and Rabi seasons this year.