Copious inflows into the Sriramsagar project (SRSP) after two years rekindled hope among the farmers of the district, with Minister for Finance and Civil Supplies Etala Rajender announcing the release of water from SRSP flood flow canal and Kakatiya canal to fill the Mid Manair Dam (MMD) and Lower Manair Dam (LMD) on Wednesday.
The Minister told The Hindu that it has been decided to release 25,000 cusecs of water from the SRSP into the flood flow canal and Kakatiya canal.
He said that he would personally visit the SRSP project site and offer prayers before lifting the gates for the release of water.
He said that the farmers falling under the command area of SRSP could not take up cultivation in the last two years due to lack of inflows into the project, owing to the drought.
Fresh and heavy inflows into the SRSP has really boosted the morale of the farming community, he added. All the minor irrigation tanks under the command area of the project would also get filled.
The SRSP received only 14 tmcs of water in the year 2014 against its capacity of 90 tmcs. Again in 2015, the project received only 2 tmcs of water due to drought, forcing the irrigation authorities to declare a crop holiday under the command area. This year, the project received steady inflows after the Babli gates were opened on July 1. On Tuesday, the project had 43.7 tmcs of water with inflows of 30,000 cusecs.
The SRSP is the lifeline of north Telangana, in general, and Karimnagar district in particular. The project provides irrigation facilities to 5.73 lakh acres in the district. With further inflows expected till October, the farmers in the district are likely to increase the area of cultivation of paddy since Karimnagar district has emerged as the ‘rice bowl’ of Telangana State.
