The Water Resources Department (WRD) has chalked out plans to release water into both Krishna Western and Eastern canals on June 10. The department advanced the water release date in view of early kharif operations in the State.
According to information, the State government has never released the water from Prakasam Barrage so early. In the last 10 years, the water was released between June 17 and August 5. While it was on June 17 in 2015-16, during 2014-15, it was on August 5. The water release date hovered between these dates during the last decade.
More so, the water is being released simultaneously for both Krishna eastern and western deltas. The water resources department, usually, releases water to western delta about 10 days after releasing water to Krishna eastern delta.
There is an ayacut of 5,30,498 acres under the Krishna eastern delta, while it is 5,53,896 acres under Krishna western delta. Krishna delta has about 13 lakh acre ayacut in Krishna, West Godavari, Guntur and Prakasam districts. The water received from the Nagarjuna Sagar Project, Pulichintala Project dam and Wazinepalli serves the needs of these deltas.
Irrigation Circle (IC) Superintendent Engineer S. Tirumala Rao said that Minister for Water Resources Ambati Rambabu would release water at 11.42 am on June 10. Minister for Housing Jogi Ramesh and MLCs, MLAs and other people’s representatives and Collector S Dilli Rao would participate, he added.