Andhra Pradesh

Jurala water for kharif from July 15

MAHABUBNAGAR: The Irrigation Development Board that met here on Saturday afternoon has resolved to release water to ayacut under Jurala project from July 15 for kharif crops.

Explaining the reason for delay in releasing water for Jurala ayacut, the Superintendent Engineer (SE) Shankar Rao said that the quantum of water in the Jurala reservoir was not sufficient for releasing water for kharif season an account of depletion of water in the reservoir to the level of 313.70 meters to facilitate the execution of approach canal works of Nettempad, Koilsagar and Bhema lift irrigation schemes in foreshore are. He said that approach canal works are likely to be completed in second week of July. Moreover he added tat inflows into Jurala reservoir were very meagre accounting to 733 cusecs. He said that water could be released to both left and right canals after the reservoir level reached above 315 meters.

The Collector and Chairman of IDB V.Usharani expressed dissatisfaction over the poor collection of water cess from the ayacutdars of Jurala project. Against the demand of Rs.20 crore for 1,02,200 acres of ayacut only Rs.2 crore (ten per cent) was being collected.

She instructed the Revenue Divisional Officers of Nagarkurnool, Gadwal, Wanaparthy and Narayanpet to make arrangements to collect water cess cent percent including the areas unless we collect the water cess cent percent we cannot take maintained works of project, she said.

The Collector also instructed the RDOs and irrigation officials concerned to do preparatory works for conduct of elections to Water Users Associations and preparation of voters list. Usha rani instructed irrigation officials to form Distributory Committees and conduct training classes to the ayacutdars in utilization of water judiciously.

She said that vigilance committees would be constituted comprising of Irrigation Revenue and police officials to monitor the management and proper distribution of water besides to contain the unauthorized use of water.

The Collector said that there was variation between the list of localised ayacut prepared by Jurala engineers and lift of ayacut provided water to the ayacut available with Revenue officials. While irrigation officials claim that water was being provided to the entire ayacut of 1,02,200 acres under Jurala project, the Revenue officials found that over 20 per cent of the ayacut was divide of water. The Collector instructed both the department officials to check the variation and see that entire notified ayacut was supplied with water she said that the repair works to breached canals and distributaries could be under taken under National Rural Employment Guaranty Scheme (NREGS) if sufficient funds were not available with irrigation department to take up them.

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