HYDERABAD: Telangana Irrigation officials, on Tuesday, requested the Tungabhadra Board to expedite the modernisation of Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme (RDS) anicut works and also monitor the flows/utilisation status of RDS anicut.
In a letter, Telangana Engineer-in-Chief C Muralidhar said that the Tungabhadra Board should know that the RDS canal of Telangana could not realise even 5 tmcft of water against its protected quantity of 15.90 tmcft as the unshuttered openings of the river sluices and construction of sluices in the body wall of RDS anicut are affecting the build-up pondage and requisite driving head in the reservoir.For this reason, although Tungabhadra Board has fixed 5.157 tmcft on prorate basis to RDS canal for the water year 2020-21, out of which Telangana was able to realise only 1.182 tmcft, said Muralidhar.
During the lean period from November to May, if only RDS regulated releases indent is placed alone that water is not being realised by RDS canal due to non-modernisation of anicut and a large part would flow down to the Andhra Pradesh. To achieve better realisation to RDS, placing combined water indent for both KC canal (AP) and RDS (TS) only is feasible after modernisation of the anicut, Muralidhar said.
This practice has been followed in the past as per actual experience. Moreover, AP with the advantage of opening of sluices in RDS anicut is drawing substantial part of water from RDS canal share intended to benefit Telangana, part of TB Dam regulated releases, Muralidhar said.
In another letter to the Godavari River Management Board, Muralidhar said that the detailed project reports such as Chowtpally Hanumantha Reddy (CHR) LIS and Chanaka-Korata barrage have been referred to AP government for their observations by the Board.
“These projects are envisaged well within the water allocated to Telangana and no inter-state issues are involved. It is not clear what comments GRMB is expecting from the AP government,” Muralidhar said. He wanted the GRMB to examine the proposals of these two projects at the Board level and not to refer them to Andhra Pradesh in a routine manner. This would save much time in the process of clearance of the DPRs, he said.