The Hindu : Telugu Ganga water likely to reach Tirupati by March 6

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 04, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

Telugu Ganga water likely to reach Tirupati by March 6

By Our Staff Reporter

TIRUPATI March 3. The Telugu Ganga water, meant to quench the thirst of Tirupati, has started traversing the Sai Ganga canal (formerly Kandaleru Poondi canal) and was expected to reach the temple town by March 6.

As per official information received at 4.30 p.m. here on Monday, the water, flowing at a speed of 0.75 km per hour, had travelled 39 km to reach the Naidupet area (Nellore district) and may take a day to cross over into Chittoor district in Thottambedu mandal. At the 88th km point near Sri Kalahasti, the water would be diverted towards right and stored in the Kailasagiri summer storage tank to be pumped to Tirupati.

Meanwhile, the Municipal and Public Health engineers were at the Kandaleru project throughout the day keeping their eyes fixed at the sensitive job of pumping water into the canal. Officials were also busy travelling on the bund to know first hand the position of the canal bed, seepage and to prevent pumping by farmers of neighbouring fields.

In a telephonic conversation with The Hindu, the Tirupati Municipal Commissioner, T. Venkateswarlu, said farmers were `extremely co-operative' and were not drawing water as feared earlier. He was on the job of travelling villages skirting the canal and pleading farmers not to use motors to draw water meant for Tirupati. He was at the canal spot till late in the evening on Monday.

Though water would be provided to the fields along the canal spread over Nellore and Chittoor districts to save standing crop as assured by the District Minister, B. Gopalakrishna Reddy, it was unlikely to happen immediately. The logic behind the idea presumably was that, of the 250 cusecs to be pumped daily, water required to meet Tirupati's demand was only 80 cusecs, meaning that the excess water could be shared by farmers. For this, farmers had been requested not to draw water till March 6, when the same was expected to reach Kailasagiri tank.

Scotching rumours that policemen were being deployed all along the canal to prevent illegal drawal of water by farmers, Mr. Venkateswarlu said the municipality did not seek police intervention in the matter. However, according to reports, standing crop near the canal had already withered away and the Minister's assurance might not transform into any great help to the farmers. "It would have mattered if water was supplied to us a fortnight back," a farmer remarked.

Two motors had reportedly failed as a result of which only 200 cusecs of water could be lifted on Monday. Engineers were at the job and the hitch was expected to be rectified tonight.

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Telugu Ganga water likely to reach Tirupati by March 6