The Sitarama irrigation project, the integrated version of Rajivsagar (Dummugudem) and Indirasagar (Rudramakota) projects in Khammam district, is likely to save a large chunk of the Kinnerasani wildlife sanctuary from submergence apart from increasing the irrigation potential and storage capacity.
Cost
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao laid the foundation stone to the integrated project in Khammam on Tuesday. The integrated project designed by Water and Power Consultancy Services (WAPCOS) would be taken up with an estimated cost of Rs.7,967 crore to irrigate about 5 lakh acres in 25 mandals of Khammam district. “As separate projects, Rajivsagar and Indirasagar were aimed at irrigating only about 3.33 lakh acres in Khammam district and another 68,000 acres in Krishna and West Godavari districts (now in Andhra Pradesh) with utilisation of 27.4 TMC ft water from Godavari. However, there was provision for one reservoir with storage capacity of just 1.2 TMC ft”, Irrigation Advisor to State Government R. Vidyasagar Rao said on Monday.
Inter-State project
Following bifurcation of combined Andhra Pradesh and transfer of seven mandals of Khammam district to Andhra Pradesh, the Indirasagar project went into AP’s territory, making it an inter-State project. However, the fate of the proposed ayacut of 1.33 lakh acres in Telangana territory under the project has been jeopardised due to lack of response from AP on taking forward the original project. “Keeping in mind the practical problem in the management of projects, particularly when the head works are located in Andhra Pradesh, a decision was taken by Telangana Government to integrate the ayacut of Indirasagar with that of Rajivsagar as part of redesigning projects to minimise disputes with neighbouring States and to avoid environmental issues,” Mr. Vidyasagar Rao said.
Balancing reservoir
The integrated Sitarama project has been designed to create an additional irrigation potential of 1.65 lakh acres, in addition to 3.33 lakh acres proposed under Rajivsagar and Indirasagar in Khammam district, with a bigger balancing reservoir to store 10 TMC ft water.
Apart from irrigating 5 lakh acres in Khammam, the project seeks to stabilise ayacut in one mandal of Warangal district besides providing drinking water to villages.
The integrated version of the Rajivsagar-Indirasagar projects aims at saving wildlife habitat from submergence
