: BJP Mahila Morcha in-charge and former Union Minister Daggubati Purandeswari wrote to Union Minister for Water Resources Uma Bharti, seeking implementation of the Siddheswaram weir/bridge, the Gundrevula reservoir and the Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme (RDS) — Right Flood Flow Canal projects (all in Kurnool district) —on a war-footing to mitigate the water crisis faced by the Rayalaseema region.
Ms. Purandeswari stated that: “the ‘elixir rivers’ – Thungabhadra, Vedavathi, Kundu, Banavasi and Krishna – could not solve the perennial problem of water scarcity in the region as a huge quantity of water is wasted due to the absence of storage capacity. Therefore, they have to be taken up with due urgency.”
The above projects would cater to the drinking and irrigation needs of one crore people of six districts (Anantapur, Chittoor, Kadapa, Kurnool, Prakasam and Nellore). Nearly 20 lakh hectares of land could be brought under irrigation.
The BJP, Ms. Purandeswari stated, is of the opinion that the three projects should be taken up urgently to prevent desertification of the region and mass migrations.
The total cost of the projects is approximately Rs.15,000 crore, including the cost of escalation, and it should be borne by the Central government. These projects will help in improving living standards in the backward region and the BJP has also appealed to the Government of Andhra Pradesh to give due priority to their execution in view of the prevailing crisis.
The Siddheswaram weir (cost Rs. 600 crore), creates a storage capacity of 50 tmcft and in addition to augmenting the irrigation facility, the bridge over the weir will reduce the distance from Prakasam barrage to Hyderabad by 50 km.
Multiple benefits
The Gundrevula reservoir would be beneficial to both A.P and Telangana. It acts as an absorption reservoir that safeguards the Srisailam dam during floods. This project costs about Rs. 2,500 crore. A part of the Telugu Ganga project, the RDS – Right Flood flow Canal —is estimated to cost Rs. 9,000 crore and it has multiple benefits, including navigation. It can be interlinked with the Kundu and Galeru rivers and the Handri Neeva Sujala Sravanthi project.
