Use rainwater to fill water bodies downstream of irrigation projects, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Naidu tells officials
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The Vamsadhara river in spate near Narasannapeta in Srikakulam district on Thursday.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has directed officials to utilise the rainwater to fill reservoirs, tanks and other water bodies across the State, and use mobile pumps to lift water wherever necessary.
Reviewing the rainfall and water flow situation at the Real-Time Governance Society (RTGS) centre on Thursday, Mr. Naidu asked the officials to store rainwater in the water bodies downstream of irrigation projects, particularly in the Krishna and Godavari delta regions. He stressed the need to use mobile equipment to lift water wherever gravity flow was not possible.
Officials said groundwater levels had risen to some extent following the rains received over the past three days under the influence of the deep depression. About 11,000 cusecs of water was flowing towards the Prakasam Barrage from the Munneru and other catchment areas, they said.
The Chief Minister asked the officials to utilise the Godavari flows to fill the Yeleru reservoir with 24 tmc ft and explore the possibility of supplying water through the Polavaram Left Main Canal to water bodies up to Anakapalli.
Officials said that 16 districts had received heavy rainfall, with the North Coastal districts and the Godavari, Krishna and NTR districts among those witnessing significant impact.
Mr. Naidu reviewed the rising flows in rivers and streams, reservoir inflows and the rainfall expected over the next few days, and directed the officials to maintain continuous monitoring.
The government expects substantial inflows into the Yeleru, Tandava, Meghadrigedda and Pampa reservoirs. Flows into the Nagavali and Vamsadhara river basins are also expected to rise.
The Gotta Barrage could reach Warning Level-I by September 25 morning. Bhadrachalam could cross Warning Level-I by September 26 afternoon and Warning Level-II that night, while Dowleswaram could cross Warning Levels-I and II on September 27, the officials said.
On the agriculture front, Mr. Naidu said the impact of El NiΓ±o could be reduced by improving soil health and adopting measures such as soil testing, alternative crops, biochar and natural farming. He asked the officials to use technology to anticipate climatic impacts and provide advice to farmers accordingly.
He also called for integrating data on agriculture, irrigation availability, reservoir levels and groundwater. The Chief Minister also examined an application developed using departmental datasets and NASA satellite imagery to analyse groundwater levels and regional changes.
Mr. Naidu asked the officials to improve school infrastructure and power supply quality, monitor water availability for power generation and keep a watch on sand availability, prices and supply.
The Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh should prepare an annual sports calendar and organise competitions at the village level, he said.
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