The second crest gate of the Kandula Obul Reddy Gundlakamma reservoir was partially broken following flash floods in the wake of heavy rains under the influence of cyclonic Michaung, at Mallavaram in Prakasam district late on December 8 (Friday).
As a consequence, officials had to release water from the other gates of the reservoir, which resulted in inundation of the farms close to the Madiralapadu causeway. The farmers, who had been frantically trying to drain the stagnated rainwater to save the standing crops, including chilli and tobacco, were flummoxed by the development.
Visiting the reservoir on December 9 (Saturday), Andhra Pradesh Rythu Sangham’s Prakasam district secretary Vadde Hanuma Reddy demanded that all the crest gates be repaired immediately to maintain the water level in the reservoir at its full capacity of 3 tmc ft and ensure water for the crops till the end of the rabi season.
Water Resources Minister Ambati Rambabu had promised to carryout repairs to all the gates when the third crest gate was washed away 16 months ago. But the work on repairing all the gates on a permanent basis at a cost of ₹10 crore had not been undertaken till date, said All India Kisan Sabha district secretary Pamidi Venkata Rao. Leaks had developed in two other gates earlier, he added.
A delegation of Telugu Desam Party leaders, including Addanki MLA G. Ravi Kumar, Kondepi MLA Dola Balaveeranjaneya Swamy and in-charge of S.N. Padu B.N. Vijaykumar, visited the dam and blamed the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government for not maintaining the crest gates properly.
The drought-prone district would witness acute water shortage during summer due to lack of foresight on the part of the government, said Mr. Swamy. The poor storage in the Nagarjunasagar reservoir would compound the water woes of the district located at the tail-end in the coming months, feared Mr. Ravi Kumar.
The farmers under the ayacut, who cultivated chili and maize in over 80,000 acres, would agitate if the government failed to repair the gates in the next 15 days, said AIKS-led Tenant Farmers’ Association district secretary N. Bala Kottaiah.
