Even as Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has promised to supply Godavari water to the delta area for rabi crops, it appears to be a daunting task for the West Godavari district administration to implement the same.
Mr. Naidu had cleared the air over the rabi prospects in the Godavari delta during a ‘Janmbhoomi-Maa Vooru’ programme here on November 1. The district Irrigation Advisory Board (IAB), which met here on Sunday, decided to toe the CM’s line, regardless of water shortage in Godavari.
Ministers Peethala Sujatha and P. Manikyala Rao and the TDP MLAs were at their best pleasing the delta farmers, saying not even an acre of land would be left uncultivated for want of water this rabi season.
Haribabu, Chief Engineer of the Irrigation Department, cautioned that more than 80,000 acres out of the total ayacut of 5.3 lakh acres in the western delta was unlikely to receive the canal water, if the dwindling inflow into the river was any indication.
Going by the current inflows at Dhavaleswaram Barrage, the irrigation authorities had estimated that there would be hardly 34 tmcft of water available for the western delta in the river during rabi season.
If the government seek its quota from the Sileru river by negotiating with Odisha government, it would receive an additional 40 tmcft of water. The delta still would fall short of another 7 tmcft to meet its full irrigation needs.
Meanwhile, the officials and the leaders seemingly lacked harmony on the supplying canal water for aquaculture.
Aqua farmers warnedCollector Bhaskar Katamneni warned stern action, if the aqua farmers would indulge in pilferage of canal water during water-stress period.
Aquaculture is being practised in 1 lakh acres in the delta.
