58.64 tmcft of Krishna going waste into sea

Vijayawada: Even though River Krishna is in full spate during every monsoon season, the farmers are facing a lot of problems to cater their agrarian needs due to unavailability of water in Rabi season. For the past one decade, Krishna river is getting flooded every year and thousands of TMC of water is being discharged downstream and getting wasted into the sea. Still there are no alternative facilities to rein at least some TMC of floodwater for the purpose of doing agricultural activities, which is causing the farmers to feel disgruntled incomparably. This year also so far (August 6) 58.64 TMC of water has been discharged into the sea from Prakasam barrage, which could have been utilised for future needs (If any alternative facilities would have been set up).

In fact, the previous TDP government proposed to construct two barrages downstream Prakasam barrage to cater irrigation water needs of the farmers of both Krishna and Guntur districts and to quench the drinking water needs of AP Capital Amaravati in 2018. Later, the present government also gave administration sanctions by making minor changes in the TDP proposed projects in 2020. However, from then, the construction of these two new projects is still pending. According to the information, both projects are still in the scrutiny stage.

With the general elections scheduled in just nine months from now, the proposed two barrages are not likely to be taken up. According to information, the government is not keen on undertaking these two projects.

Actually, the proposed two new barrages will come up downstream Prakasam Barrage, one at Chodavaram village of Penamaluru mandal at 12 km distance from the Barrage downstream and another at Bobbarlanka village of Mopidevi mandal, which is 67 km away from Prakasam barrage. Storage capacities of the projects are 4.131 and 4.950 TMC respectively and the estimated cost of the both projects are Rs 2,235 crore and Rs 2,569.39 crore respectively.

Leaders like Perni Nani, Jogi Ramesh and other MLAs also mentioned these two projects at many meetings and stated that they would complete the projects soon. However, in reality, these projects are not going to be constructed, which is leaving the farmers in lurch once again.