Andhra Pradesh on Saturday took a quantum leap to mitigate people of perennially drought affected Telangana region, by signing an agreement with Maharashtra government for construction of BR Amedkar Pranahita-Chevella Sujala Sravanthi project.
The agreement was signed by principal secretaries of Irrigation SK Joshi (AP) and Eknath B Patil (Maharashtra) in the presence Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and his Maharashtra counterpart Prithviraj Chavan at Sharam Shakti Bhavan in Delhi as Union Water Resources Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal looked on.
The project would cost Rs 40,300 crore as per the latest estimate. It will help both the states to cater to the needs of both irrigation and drinking.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh congratulated AP government for the agreement. States should amicably solve the water problems, the Prime Minister said while appreciating Kiran Reddy government.
After the agreement was signed, an elated Kiran Kumar Reddy said that the agreement would secure all clearances for the project and also to get national project status.
"Prananita-Chevella will be the life line for Telangana. The agreement has been signed in national interest," the Chief The Chief Minister said. "We will complete the project as soon as possible," he added. He said submergence of lands was more in Maharashtra. If there was no agreement with Maharashtra, the matter would face legal hurdles which would delay the construction of the project.
Kiran Kumar Reddy said that the government was also working out to reach an agreement with Chhattisgarh and Orissa government on Polavaram projects. The States should solve water-related issues, he added.
As there was an agreement with Maharashtra now, it was easy to get national project status for Pranahita-Chevella. He said that 90 per cent funds of the project would be born by the Central, if it was conferred national project status. The Pranahita-Chevella was already in the Prime Minister's package and was eligible for 57 per cent funding from the Centre. "There is no dearth of funds for irrigation projects," Kiran Reddy added. He said that tenders were called for the project and some works were under progress. "We have already spent Rs 1,670 crore on the project," he added.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Chavan said: "Both states will benefit from the project and therefore both the states will work together for better utilisation of Godavari waters. We, together, will handle submergence issue". Chavan said that two districts in Maharashtra would get water under Pranahita-Chevella project.
BENEFITS:
The project envisages diversion of 160 tmcft water by constructing a barrage across River Pranahita, a major tributary to River Godavari. It further utilises 20 TMC of water from River Godavari at Sripada Yellampally Project. The project is intended to irrigate a command area of 16.40 lakh acres in Adilabad, Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Medak, Warangal, Ranga Reddy, and Nalgonda districts of drought prone areas in Telangana region.
Besides irrigation, the project also envisages provisions for drinking water, industrial requirements and drinking water to twin cities of Hyderabad. Of the 40 tmc meant for drinking water 30 tmc would be diverted to Hyderabad and the remaining 10 tmc for other towns and villages enroute to Hyderabad.
Water distribution:
* 124 tmc water to irrigate 16.40 lakh acres in seven districts in Telangana.
* 10 tmc for drinking water needs to the enroute villages and towns.
* 30 tmc for drinking water needs of GHMC.
* 16 tmc will be utilised for industrial needs.
District-wise ayacut in acres
Adilabad 1,56,500
Karimnagar 1,71,449
Nizamabad 3,04,500
Medak 5,19,152
Nalgonda 2,29,832
Ranga Reddy 2,46,704
Warangal 11,863
TOTAL 16,40,000
Clearances
In-principle clearance for submission of DPR has been accorded by the CWC in April 2010.
The Detailed Project Report (DPR) is submitted to the Central Water Commission in October 2010 and is under scrutiny in various directorates and their remarks are being attended.
It requires clearances from 12 directorates.
Clearances received so far:
Central Soil Material Research Station (CSMRS)
Construction Machinery Consultancy (CMC)
Central Ground Water Board (CGWB).
No comments:
Post a Comment