HYDERABAD: The over 45-year-old dream of Adilabad farmers will come true soon as the first benefits of the Chanaka-Korata barrage are expected to reach them in November this year. The barrage is intended to provide irrigation facilities to ryots in four mandals under Boath and Adilabad segments. The construction of the barrage and erection of all 23 gates have been completed. The fixing of the two motors is expected to be completed by November and water will be given to around 10,000 acres initially, official sources said. The storage capacity of Chanaka-Korata is about 0.8 tmcft.
“About 150 tmcft of water has already reached the Godavari river through the barrage. Once the motors are fixed, we will close the gates and start storing the water,” official sources said.Five motors, two with a capacity of 5.5 MW and three with a capacity of 12 MW, are supposed to be fixed. First, the three motors with a capacity of 12 MW each will be installed and water will be lifted in the main gravity canal. An ayacut of 38,000 acres under gravity canal and 13,500 acres under two motors with 5.5 MW capacity each have been proposed. In the upstream of the barrage, another 10,000 acres have been proposed under Pippalkote barrage, which is yet to be constructed.
The State government entered into an agreement on Chanaka-Korata with Maharashtra along with Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS) in 2016. The then Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh governments had reached an understanding on October 6, 1975, to take up Lower Penganga project as an interstate joint project. But, there has been no much progress in the erstwhile AP. In every election, the political parties assure that they would take up Penganga projects.
After the formation of Telangana, the construction of Chanaka-Korata was started across the Penganga river in 2018. As per the interstate agreement, the Maharashtra government has to construct Rajapet and Pimparad barrages. However, the Maharashtra government is yet to start the works. But, Telangana has completed Chanaka-Korata barrage, in which Maharashtra will have 20 per cent water share. Meanwhile, Telangana will get 50 per cent share of water in Rajapet and 30 per cent share of water in Pimparad barrages, to be constructed by Maharashtra.