Seema farmers Stage Jala Deeksha at Siddeswaram

(K.C.Kalkura)

It is a geographical truth that many perennial rivers like Krishna, Tungabhadra, Penna, Handri, Hagiri (Vedvathi), and Kundu flow through Rayalaseema. The Krishna and the Penna merge with the Bay of Bengal. All others mingle with them, either directly or through another tributary. It is equally true that year after year a good amount of Krishna and Penna water flows into the Bay of Bengal; a colossal waste. Tungabhadra is expected to contribute 36 Tmcft of water at Roza gazing center at Kurnool to the Krishna River system. Even during the lean years, Tungabhadra shares much more with Krishna. On average, it can be safely said that around 100 Tmcft flows into the Krishna. At Prakasam Barrage the water let into the sea is upwards of 500 tmcft. Yet the parties concerned, The Union of India, The Krishna River Management Board (KRMB), The Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal, II (KWDT, II), and the Governments of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are not prepared to allocate it to Rayalaseema.  As a result, it is an economic truth that Rayalaseema is one of the most backward regions in the country. If the available surplus is allotted to Rayalaseema, it will quench the thirst of millions of people, flora and fauna will prosper and irrigate the parched lands, It will add to the ‘Nation’s Wealth’.  It helps to maintain ecological balance. It is repeatedly said in any number of forums that out of the cultivable land, irrigated area in the region is a meager less than 20%, again one of the bottom places in a country-wide statistics.

When Pattiseema was launched and about 200 Tmcft of Godavari water was let into the Krishna Delta, it was hoped and promised that a considerable portion of Krishna water would be allocated to Rayalaseema from Srisailam through Pothireddypadu Head Regulator. (PHR) That was not to be.  Telangana Govt opposes every step that improves PHR. However, in spite of the prohibition from the KRMB and KWDT, II it draws water for generating electricity with the first available drop till the last possible drop. It is daylight robbery. Govt of A.P. is planning to construct three embankments/ check dams downstream Prakasam Barrage to store about 40 Tmcft to cultivate an additional four lakh acres of land and avoid salinity in the Krishna Delta. The estimated expenditure is around Rs.3,000/- crores. Rayalaseema does not hold grudges. On the other hand, welcomes it. At the same time, we want the coastal district to reciprocate the gesture by allowing the available surplus in the Krishna to be allotted to Rayalaseema and beneficially utilized.

Siddeswaram is the main plank of the Rayalaseema Jala Sadhana Samithi, which is at the forefront of the Movement. It demands a project across the Krishna at Siddeswaram about 83 km upstream from Srisailam. Under the leadership of Bojja Dasartharama Reddy, V.President of All India Farmers Association, a gathering of 25,000 symbolically laid the foundations for the project on May, 31, 2016. The brain behind the project is Subbarayudu, a retired Engineer of the Irrigation Department. He has taken the project to his heart. The site selected amidst the hillocks near Siddeswaram village in Kothapalli Mandal in Kurnool (now Nandyal) Dist is the narrowest in the Krishna Basin in A.P.; about 450 Mts.; the base level 80 ft. Sentimentally it is called Sangameswaram; a confluence of seven rivers; Krishan, Veni, Tunga, Bhadra, Banavasi, Bheemarathi, and Malapaharini. The proposed height is 860 MSL to store 80 Tmcft.

Estimated to cost around Rs.1,000 crores, it is downstream of the PHR and Banakacharla escape channel. Hence there is no need to construct distributary channels anew. This is intended to felicitate the free flow from the PHR at a height of 854 Ft.to the ongoing projects and the 15 Tmcft of assured drinking water allotted to Chennai through the Telugu Ganga Project (TGP).  As a result of Srisailam Dam with a height of 885 Ft. will remain only a Hydro Project. During the floods, the Siddeswaram dam will be submerged. When the water level in the dam recedes to 854 ft. the remaining storage will, in case of needs in the rivers’ basins flow to the rivers through the river sluices, constructed at the base, at a height of 800 ft. and a major portion to the Srisailam Dam through the spillway.  After the generation of Electricity, Srisailam water flows to Nagarjuna Sagar. Hence, as a balancing reservoir, Siddeswaram is an added benefit to the Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar. Without jeopardizing the interests of the downstream, with Private Public Partnership (PPP) as much as 100 MW of power can be generated.

On 4th April 2022, the 13 Districts in A.P. were reorganized and 26 Districts were formed. In the process, Kurnool District was bifurcated; Kurnool, the western part, and Nandyal, the eastern part, District were formed.  Various agitations, particularly the Rayalaseema Jala Sadhana Samithi is concentrating on PHR and its diversions; namely Telugu Ganga, Galeru-Nagari, Srisailam Right Branch Canal (SRBC), and Kurnool-Cuddapah (KC) Canal. Only Handrail – Neeva Srujala Sravanthi Scheme (HNSSS Lift) to a certain extent flows on the Western part in the dry areas of Dhone, Alur, and Pathikonda Constituencies also. Only Tungabhadra Low and High-Level canals provide irrigation facilities to some land in these areas. In spite of some water supply schemes, scarcity of drinking water is a yearly routine. Due to the siltation of the Tungabhadra Dam only 18.50 TMCT of water is allotted  against 24 TMCT of allocation to Andhra Pradesh State under Tungabhadra Project Low-Level Canal (TBP LLC.) Hence only 1.00 Lakh Acres of ayacut at upper reaches is getting water and 50,000 Acres. (40,000 Acres Irrigable Dry + 10,000 Acres Wet) at tail, end ayacut is suffering due to a shortage of 5.50 MCT.  Hence wholesale migration of labor during the summer is the order. There is an apprehension in the area that the Rayalaseema Movements and Agitations also may ignore the interest of the remainder of the Kurnool District. Jalasadhana Samithi’s agenda includes the long-pending Gundrevula and Vedavathi Projects also.

Gundrevula, in C.Belagal Mandal in Kurnool Dist, is intended to store the assured 20 Tmcft of water to be released to the K.C. Canal. It is a few k.m. upstream of Sunkesula dam, a diversion point for K.C.Canal. At present this water is released from the TBP.  In the process, a journey of about 150 k.m. the percentage of loss due to evaporation and percolation, due to distance and summer is very high. Gundrevula will save a lot. Once completed, the project, estimated to cost Rs 2,800 crore, is expected to stabilize 2,65,628 acres under the KC canal in Kurnool and Kadapa districts besides meeting the drinking water needs of Kurnool city and adjoining villages along the KC canal. Further, the ayacut under the Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme (RDS) in Telangana State will get stabilized.

Before and after the State bifurcation, the project, which is proposed to be constructed using assured waters of Tungabhadra to the State, has remained a political slogan during elections. It has even become a bargaining point for a prominent politician to change parties. “Listening to all such promises, people of Kurnool are now demanding the execution of the project at the earliest to solve the drinking and irrigation water issues,” demand the people of Kurnool, Nandyal, and Kadapa in a single voice.

Among the four Rayalaseema districts, the Kurnool district is blessed with two major rivers — Krishna and Tungabhadra — and near the confluence of these two rivers, the Srisailam project, one of the most important multi-purpose projects in the country, was constructed.

However, the waters in the project were never utilized to cater to the drinking water needs of Kurnool, the erstwhile capital of Andhra State. Any irrigation project conceived, modified, or altered in Kurnool will have an impact on the entire Rayalaseema, hence to address the water needs of the region, it is inevitable to focus on the projects in Kurnool, irrigation experts opined.

“To understand the importance of the Gundrevula Project, one should first know what the Tungabhadra river means to Kurnool.  The tributary of the Krishna river can be described as the lifeline of Kurnool but has remained under-utilized because of one reason — lack of reservoirs to store the assured water to the region,” retired irrigation engineer M Subbarayudu ays.

The proposed Vedavathi project, at an estimated cost of Rs1,800/- crores, in Holagunda and Alur Mandals lifts in all about six Tmcft of water from Vedvathi or Hagiri river and irrigates about 80,000 acres of drylands in the Mandals,. The Govt must also strengthen the existing Guru Raghavendra Project to lift 5.373 TMCT of water by means of several individual Lift Irrigation(LI) Schemes and Medium Irrigation (MI) Schemes all along the Tungabhadra River for the stabilization of 50,000 Acres (10,000 Acres Wet and 40,000 Acres Irrigable Dry). Gundrevula is intended to impound 10 Tmcft of water to be utilized in the K.C.Canal. Thus stress on TBP is eased and the saved water can be supplied to the tail end of LLC.   By implementing these three projects the amount of water that is lost due to the silt, evaporation, and percolation in TBP can be made good.

Year after year the storage capacity of TBP is reduced due to siltation. Siltation is a global problem. Some method must be evolved to clear the silt during the rainy season when the dam overflows.  Some years back it was whispered in some quarters that the Japanese technology would be useful to transport the silt to upland hilly areas. It helps land reclamation and grows vegetation in rocky regions.

Rayalaseema Jalasadhana Samithi is gearing up for two months to celebrate the sixth anniversary on 31st May 2022, of the symbolic foundation stone.  With these honey and milk may not flow in Rayalaseema. But it will provide more opportunities for industrialization and pave the way for economic development and social upliftment of the region; mitigate famine and factionalism.

(K.C.Kalkura, Advocate and Social Activist,Kurnool. A.P.)