: The bund of the Polavaram Right Main Canal breached at the Ramileru rivulet under tunnel near Pallerlamudi in Nuzvid mandal of Krishna district forcing the irrigation authorities to switch off pumping of water from the Godavari into the Prakasam Barrage under the Pattiseema Lift Irrigation Scheme.
Irrigation officials believe that breach had been caused by miscreants filed a complaint in the Nuzvid Rural Police Station.
Water Resources Minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao went to the spot to supervise restoration works and had been camping there.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu directed Engineer-in-Chief M. Venkateswara Rao to inquire into the reasons for the breach. Polavaram RMC Division Assistant Executive Engineer M. Vijaya Kumar lodged a complaint with the Nuzvid police, stating that he noticed some damage done by some people, to the canal bund above the Ramileru under-tunnel.
Police registered a case under Sec. 430 of the Indian Penal Code. About 4,500 cusecs lifted by 12 pumps of Pattiseema LI scheme were flowing in the canal when the breach occurred.
Uma promises swift action
The Water Resources Minister said that attempts were being made to plug the breach as soon as possible and restore pumping of water from the Godavari to the Krishna Delta.
He said there was doubt about sabotage because the part of the bund where the breach occurred was part of the “original canal” and not part of the canal bund that was created recently.
With both the major reservoirs on the Krishna River being empty, the Pattiseema LI scheme was the only hope for Krishna delta farmers. “We will not allow the hopes of Krishna farmers to be dashed. "We will plug the breach and re-start pumping from the Godavari at the earliest,” Mr. Umamaheswara Rao said.
