Southern States - Andhra Pradesh   

Karnataka to release Alamatti water

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD DEC. 14. The Karnataka Government has positively responded to the Andhra Pradesh request for release of Alamatti water.

It has asked the State Government to depute a delegation to Bangalore on December 17 to work out a plan.

The response from the Karnataka Chief Minister, S. M. Krishna, came after the Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, made yet another plea on the phone earlier today.

Reacting promptly, the A.P. Chief Secretary, Sathi Nair, wrote to her Karnataka counterpart giving an update on the issue.

The Minister for Major Irrigation, K. Srihari, indicated at a press conference that Andhra Pradesh might, if pressed, reciprocate by offering power to Karnataka.

The quantum sought from Alamatti is 37 tmcft, solely for meeting drinking water needs up to June-end and for saving standing crops in five districts.

The quantum of water available now in Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar reservoirs is estimated at 10 tmcft only.

However, 19 tmcft has been added to this as, drawal can be made out of Srisailam's dead storage.

Compared to this, Alamatti dam has 95.43 tmcft and Narayanpur 37.74 tmcft— a total 133.17 tmcft.

Both projects cannot utilise this quantum for want of canal/distribution network.

The Minister said they might take up the issues pertaining to compensation under Jurala, Singur and Rajolibanda Diversion schemes.

He said 2,550 cusecs was being released into the Nagarjunasagar Left Canal for serving two lakh acres of wet and one lakh acres of dry crops in Nalgonda district.

Releases into the Right Canal were maintained at 4,000 cusecs till recently but stopped for Guntur district to facilitate the flow at 1,500 cusecs to Prakasam district where some places were facing scarcity.

The release for the Guntur area would be resumed tomorrow.

Similarly, 200 cusecs a day would be released into the Pulivendula Branch Canal for 10 days for saving the 15,000 acres of standing crops in Cuddapah district.

The drinking water needs of Rayalaseema towns would be met by the Thungabhadra waters and that of north Telangana by Sriramsagar project.

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