Date:25/02/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/02/25/stories/2007022514340300.htm

Karnataka - Bellary

`Excess water being released to Andhra Pradesh from reservoir'

Staff Correspondent

BELLARY: Chief Engineer of the Tungabhadra Board and of the Irrigation Central Zone at Munirabad in Koppal, Rajashekar, has charged that the board is releasing more water to Andhra Pradesh from the Tungabhadra reservoir than its allocated quota.

Mr. Rajashekar told The Hindu that between November 2006 and January this year, over five tmc feet of water had been released in excess of its quota. While the board's records said that 14.14 tmc feet of water had been released to Andhra Pradesh, the entries made at the gauging point revealed that 19.8 tmc feet of water had been released from the high-level canal on the right bank of the Tungabhadra reservoir during this period, he said.

He said he discovered this when he made surprise visits to the gauging stations during his night rounds in the first week of January.

The Tungabhadra project aims to cater to the irrigation needs of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The canal on the left bank of the reservoir is reserved exclusively for Karnataka and is being used for irrigation in Koppal and Raichur. On the right bank there are two canals — the high-level and low-level canals — which irrigate lands in Bellary as well as in Anantapur, Kurnool and Kadapa districts of Andhra Pradesh.

The high-level canal irrigates parts of Hospet, Sandur and Bellary taluks, while the low-level canal irrigates Hospet, Sirguppa and Bellary taluks before entering Andhra Pradesh. The release of water according to the quota allocated to each State, and the maintenance of these two canals on the right bank up to the State border is looked after by the Tungabhadra Board.