UKP third phase: Sand shortage hits construction activity

Shortage of sand is proving to be a major hurdle for projects being implemented under the third phase of the ambitious Upper Krishna Project (UKP).

“We are unable to expedite the projects owing to limited sand supply. Without adequate availability of sand, construction works are hard to continue,” Anjum Parvez, Managing Director, Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigam Ltd. (KBJNL), has said.

Addressing presspersons at Almatti dam on Saturday, Mr. Parvez said that a decision was taken to complete the ongoing works related to construction of canals by the kharif of 2017. However, owing to sand shortage, construction was going on at a slow pace. “Machines have already prepared the trench for canals ... but the covering wall is yet to be laid and this is getting delayed because of unavailability of sand in Vijayapura district,” he said.

Mr. Parvez, however, said that no such problem was being reported in Yadgir and Kalaburagi districts where similar projects are underway.

He said that in order to expedite the works, there is a need for at least 400 loads of sand each day. He said that some of the blocks of sand identified in the district are filled with water making extraction difficult. “We have asked the district administration to identify more blocks which could be used by KBJNL for the projects. We have also discussed the possibility of getting sand from other districts,” Mr. Parvez said.

He said that under phase 1 and 2, a total of 6.30 lakh hectares of land has been brought under irrigation and action has been taken to bring 12.50 lakh hectares of land under irrigation in the third phase.

He also informed that phase 2 of Marol micro irrigation project in Bagalkot would be completed by the end of this month. This project was one of the biggest micro irrigation projects being implemented in the country which is aimed at conserving water and preventing soil from losing fertility, he said.