IAB to hold meetings to workout water supply schedule for Rabi

Rajamahendravaram(East Godavari District): The Irrigation Advisory Board (IAB) will meet soon to issue an official statement on water supply for Rabi cultivation. The dates for the meetings were finalised in Rajamahendravaram on Friday. The IAB meeting would be held on November 23 regarding East Godavari district and on November 26 regarding Kakinada district. For Ambedkar Konaseema district, the IAB meeting would be held at Amalapuram on November 25. However, this date is yet to be finalised.

In the past, every year during Rabi season, the area allowed for cultivation was announced in October. This time, it was initially thought that this meeting should be held at the combined East Godavari district-level in the context of district reorganisation. But if the meeting is held at the combined district level, three Collectors and three in-charge Ministers need to be present. Therefore, the presence of one in-charge Minister and the Collector is sufficient for any district.

They said that the reason for Konaseema district meeting not being finalised is that the date of the visit of the in-charge Minister has not been fixed.

Irrigation water is supplied from Dowleswaram Barrage to Ayakattu in Godavari districts. The erstwhile Godavari districts have a total area of 8.96 lakh acres. Rabi season will start on December 1. As the IAB meetings have already been delayed, farmers demanded that the meetings should be completed soon and crop area should be confirmed. In fact, the authorities are also in a hurry.

Water Resources Department Superintending Engineer K Narasimha Murthy said that the preparation of canals is the main programme in terms of water supply for Rabi cultivation. He said canal maintenance works will be undertaken with the operation and maintenance funds. The contractors have been ordered to carry out the removal of Gurrapu dekka (hyacinth) and debris from canals. He warned that those, who neglect these tasks, will be blacklisted.