The water carrying capacity of the Handri Neeva Sujala Sravathi (HNSS) canal will be increased from 2,800 cusecs to 10,000 cusecs. This will be done by widening the existing capacity to 6,000 cusecs and digging a parallel canal to carry another 4,000 cusecs from the Srisailam reservoir, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has said.
Speaking after launching the ‘YSR Kanti Velugu’ scheme here on Thursday, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy, concurring with MLA Anantha Venkatarami Reddy, said there was scarcity of irrigation water.
Responding to the MLA’s plea for increasing the carrying capacity of the HNSS canal and establishing industrial units in the northern parts of the district, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy, while promising to do everything that was possible to develop the district, said he was the grandson of the district as his mother Vijayamma hailed from it.
The Chief Minister said he was aware of the difficult situation in the district due to non-completion of the modernisation of the HNSS and Tungabhadra canals during the TDP rule, which was allowing drawal of only 2,200 cusecs from the Krishna despite having abundant water this year. Promising to get the work on widening the canal grounded soon, he pointed out at the abundant rainfall after 10 years, which eased the water situation in Rayalaseema.
“Excess rainfall has filled most of the minor irrigation tanks and village ponds, bringing cheer among the people,” he observed.
