Andhra Pradesh - Ongole   

Rallapadu project puts officials in fix

ONGOLE: The failure of the irrigation officials to repair the gates of Rallapadu project threatened agriculture on nearly 20,000 acres in Prakasam district this year.

As the gates could not be placed in their position, 30-40 cusecs of water is leaking and going waste for the last two days. Officials would not be able to impound water beyond 15 feet in the present situation which would be sufficient to raise crops only on 7,000 acres. Irrigation officials can lift all the gates and empty the reservoir and take up repairs. But they are hesitant as there is no certainty to get rains and impound water again in this season. So the officials found themselves in Catch 22 situation even as farmers are worried about their fate.

Rallapadu is a medium irrigation project to impound water to a level of 20 feet in Munneru in Prakasam district. The 50-year-old project breached in 1996 and the TDP Government took four years to repair the breach and restore water supply to farmers. But it did not replace the gates then. The mechanical division undertakes repairs to the gates every year during closure period. When the maintenance works were being done in June this year, it was found that two gates lost their counter weights.

The government released Rs. 33 lakh for gate repairs. But when the officials proposed to empty the reservoir and take up repairs in July, Water Users Association opposed on the plea that they can not forego 8 feet water and preferred to defer the repairs to next season.

In this background, following heavy rain in the catchment area, the project received heavy flood taking the water level to 15 feet two days ago. Officials found to their dismay that the two gates began leaking as they could not put them in place for want of counter weights. District Collector, K. Devanand, who visited the project on Wednesday, advised the officials to release water over and above 15 feet to save the gates from further damage.

The TDP leaders are criticising the government for failure to repair the gates in time leading to the present crisis. Kandukur MLA, M. Mahidhara Reddy, said that an expert, Hari Singh, is leaving Hyderabad tonight to reach Rallapadu tomorrow to study the problem and suggest measures to repair the gates keeping farmers interests in view.

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Rallapadu project puts officials in fix

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