The Vijayawada Irrigation Circle with jurisdiction over the entire Krishna district has prepared a detailed project report for the repair, renovation and restoration of 354 irrigation tanks with ayacuts of above 50 acres at an estimated cost of Rs. 87 crore. Administrative sanction has already been granted for the improvement of another 52 irrigation tanks with an ayacut of over 100 acres at an estimated cost of Rs. 14 crores under a separate project. As many as 406 tanks will be improved at a cost of Rs. 100 crore under the two projects in the district.
Proposals have been sent to the State Government to take up the improvement of 354 tanks under the Repair Renovate and Restore (RRR) scheme. Proposals were sent under the scheme for the repair of 210 irrigation tanks of ayacut between 50 and 100 acres at an estimated cost of Rs. 23.32 crores and for the repair of another 144 tanks having an ayacut of over 100 acres at a cost of Rs. 64 crore.
For the second set of tanks the Department of Community Management Director has already given administrative sanction for the repair of 52 irrigation tanks under the Community Tank Management Project. In this World Bank sponsored project, the expenditure sharing between State and Central governments was 75 per cent and 25 per cent respectively. If the tank was notified under an SC or ST area then the sharing between the State and Central Governments was 10 per cent and 90 per cent. But no tanks in the district fall in the notified areas.
Preliminary repairs were taken up with the help of Water Users' Association to 46 irrigation tanks spending Rs. 2.17 crore. Tenders were called for the repair of eight tanks at an estimated cost of Rs. 3.71 crore recently. Tenders will also be called for the repair of the other 46 tanks shortly.
