Yellampally Barrage ready to meet multiple needs.

Two years after completion of construction, Yellampally Barrage in Karimnagar district comes in handy to source water for the first phase of Telangana Drinking Water Supply Project – Mission Bhagiratha – in nine assembly constituencies in Medak, Ranga Reddy, Nalgonda and Warangal districts as it is ready to hold water in full capacity of 20 TMC ft. Besides, the project named of former Speaker of the undivided Andhra Pradesh Assembly D. Sripada Rao is poised to meet drinking water needs of the State Capital to the tune of 10 TMC ft and supplying 6.5 TMC ft water to the inter-State power project of the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) at Ramagundam. Further, it is ready to supplement water to the 30,000 acres gap ayacut of Kaddam project in Adilabad district and irrigating 25,000 acres afresh under Gudem lift irrigation scheme in addition to water given to 40,000 acres in Manthani area last year. “We also plan to irrigate another 50,000 acres in Choppadandi and Vemulawada areas this year as the chances of the reservoir getting required quantity of water appear very bright,” a senior official of the Irrigation Department said.

Taken up in 2004 with an estimated cost of Rs.5,300 crore for utilisation of about 70 TMC ft water in Godavari, construction of the barrage was completed in all respects about two years back but it has not been in a position to hold water with full reservoir level (FRL) of 148 meters, 20 TMC ft in terms of capacity, due to unsettled relief and rehabilitation issues as people of 12 villages in Karimangar district and 9 in Adilabad have been displaced. “Delay in settlement of R&R issues, including payment of compensation to some submergence lands, has forced the officials not to impound water in the barrage in full capacity so far. We could store only 6 TMC ft water last year, up to 143 meters, as people of five villages in Adilabad and four in Karimnagar refused to vacate,” the officials explained listing the reasons.


THE HINDU