Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has alleged 30 tmcft of water from the Somasila Reservoir was wasted and demanded stern action against the Irrigation Department officials and State Agriculture Minister Kakani Govardhan Reddy for it.
TDP politburo member Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy recalled that the Irrigation Advisory Board resolved to provide water for the second crop to 2.85 lakh acres before the start of the season. However, e-crop records of the Agriculture Department showed that only 97,000 acres of land had been cultivated, he said in a statement released to the media.
The Irrigation Department claimed it had provided 40 tmcft of water from April 1 till the end of August to a whopping 3.11 lakh acres of land. But, one lakh acres could be cultivated with 10 tmcft of water. So, it could be inferred that 30 tmcft of water had been wasted, he explained. The failure of the YSRCP Government to desilt the canals was responsible for the plight of farmers, he contended.
Nearly 15 tmcft of water had been wasted even during the first crop season, according to the reports of Agriculture and Irrigation departments, Mr. Reddy alleged. The farmers had suffered a loss of ₹700 crore due to wastage of precious irrigation water, he charged.
