Farmers under the ayacut of Raiwada reservoir too have opposed the government move to draw water from the reservoir to meet the needs of GVMC, after their counterparts under Tandava made it clear that they cannot let go the water meant for their crops as the rains are not sufficient.
Senior politician and former Minister Konathala Ramakrishna who visited the Raiwada area and interacted with the farmers to understand the situation there found the farmers in dire straits.
“There is no excess water and the situation here and Tandava and the dire need of drinking water for Visakhapatnam and irrigation needs of this area warrant the government to immediately take up and complete the Babu Jagjivan Ram Uttarandhra Sujala Sravanthi (BJR USS) project which is meant to provide irrigation water to 8 lakh acres in the upland areas of the three Uttarandhra districts and drinking water to Visakhapatnam and other areas and industries,” Mr. Ramakrishna told The Hindu after the visit.
Second turn
Shortage of water saw Raiwada farmers denied water for the rabi crop and they had already missed first round of release of water for the kharif crop and the second turn is likely at the month-end. If there are no rains, the situation would cause more trouble for them, he said.
The farmers had been considerate and allowed water in the past to the city under humanitarian grounds but how long can they do it, he asked.
Had the Government taken up the USS project to pump the floodwaters of 63.2 tmcft of the Godavari through lifts, the situation would have been comfortable, said Mr. Ramakrishna, a senior Minister in Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy’s government.
Polavaram project will not be completed by 2018 and before its left main canal is ready, USS could be taken up and with pumping of water from the first lift at Purushottampatnam, water could be sent to Visakhapatnam. But the Government had taken up and completed the Pattiseema lift irrigation project in spite of requests from Uttarandhra to take up the USS also, Mr. Ramakrishna said.
USS could later be part of the Polavaram project unlike Pattiseema which has to be disbanded after Polavaram is completed and the USS would cost only Rs. 7200 crore.
It is also considered to be the most viable irrigation project since it would irrigate 8 lakh acres apart from providing drinking water for that cost, he pointed out. The then Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy gave administrative sanction and laid foundation for the USS but later on it was neglected.
Immense benefit
He regretted that the Kiran Kumar Reddy government and the successive governments did not bother to take up USS in spite of the immense benefit it would extend to the north coastal Andhra.
Mr. Ramakrishna also blamed the Governments for not initiating and completing long-term plans and take quick action resulting invariably in trouble to the farmers. The management of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant did not bother to prepare another storage tank like Kanithi Balancing Reservoir when it went for expansion to double its capacity, he said.
Raiwada farmers too oppose diversion
