Farmers cultivating standing crop under the Nagarjuna Sagar Project Right Canal are keeping their fingers crossed as the crucial meeting of the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) is being held on October 28.
The meeting would decide the quantum of water to be released from the NSP Left Main Canal and the Right Main Canal.
At the general body meeting of the Zilla Parishad on Thursday, District Collector Kona Sasidhar said proposals had been sent to the State government on the quantum to meet the requirements of the farmers.
Presently, paddy is sown in 50,000 acres, cotton in 1.25 lakh hectares and chilli in 30,000 hectares in the district.
After years of dwindling flows, the levels at Nagarjuna Sagar and Srisailam have increased significantly raising the hopes of the farmers in the Andhra and Rayalaseema regions in the rabi season. But the inflows into Srisailam have started receding over the last week, and Nagarajuna Sagar is now receiving 40,000 cusecs.
The Nagarjuna Sagar and the Srisailam reservoirs have 290 TMC with Sagar having more than 135 TMC.
The Department of Agriculture has estimated that 20 TMC would be required to save the standing crop under the NSP Right Canal ayacut.
“The situation is vastly different now as the Krishna River Management Board alone has the right to decide on the quantum of water release to the Andhra and Telangana regions.
“The water releasing head is at the disposal of Telangana and so uncertainty would continue,” said an irrigation official.
Ryves Canal modernisation
Staff Reporter adds from Vijayawada:
Krishna Eastern Delta Project Committee Chairman G. Siva Ramakrishna, Water Resources Department Apex Committee member Alla Gopalakrishna and Deputy Executive Engineer G. Venkata Kumar inspected the Ryves canal at Gundala in the city ahead of the commencement of its modernisation work.
Mr. Ramakrishna said the Ryves, Bandar and Eluru canals were being modernised as part of increasing green cover in the city and it would also help in meeting the needs of irrigation.
Mr. Gopalakrishna said the modernisation was given priority by the government at par with the mainstream irrigation projects. Work would begin soon as per the directions of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.