Given the decreasing storage levels in major reservoirs and water availability for Krishna delta, Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy has given instructions to the Irrigation Department officials to accord priority for drinking water and standing rabi crops.
At a meeting held to review the water availability here on Wednesday, senior Irrigation Department officials informed Mr. Kiran Kumar Reddy that the present storage levels would see through the drinking water requirement till monsoon besides providing water to the standing crops which were not water intensive till August-September. However, no new crops would be allowed during this period. “The situation is bound to improve after the monsoon season,” they said.
Engineer in Chief Muralidhar said that about 40 tmcft of water was available for irrigation in Krishna basin for rabi and to meet drinking water requirements.
So far 34.6 tmcft of water was released for 8.31 lakh acres of standing crop in Guntur, Prakasam, Nalgonda and Khammam under the Nagarjuna Sagar Project and there was further requirement for 1.41 tmcft.
The department had been managing the water resources to release water to the standing rabi crops in a few pockets in Krishna and Penna delta, and if there were any left over areas, they also would be covered.
The meeting also assured that there would be no drinking water scarcity for Hyderabad as there was adequate water in Singur reservoir to meet the requirements of the city till July. Hyderabad would get required 10 tmcft, NSP left and right canals- 14 tmcft and Krishna delta system, 6 tmcft to meet drinking water needs.
