Project to facilitate stabilisation of 10,394 acres and drinking water supply to Dhone, Pattikonda, Alur, and Panyam constituencies
PNS | Vijayawada
Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is set to inaugurate the Lift Irrigation Scheme in Lakkasagaram, located in Krishnagiri mandal of Kurnool district, on September 19 (Tuesday), a project that has been realised at a cost of Rs 224.31 crore.
This initiative aims to transport water from Handri Neeva to supply 77 minor irrigation tanks across the constituencies of Dhone, Pattikonda, Alur, and Panyam. These tanks will serve both irrigation needs and the provision of drinking water.
Following the inauguration, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will also address a public gathering in Dhone, Nandyal district.
It is worth noting that the previous government, during its five-year tenure, neglected this crucial irrigation project, only issuing a government order (GO). In stark contrast, the Jagan Mohan Reddy government has successfully completed it and is now dedicating this project to the residents of the Nandyal and Kurnool districts, highlighting the disparity between the previous administration and the current one.
Officials from the department have emphasised the manifold benefits that the Lakkasagaram Lift Irrigation Scheme brings to the farming community. A total of 4,260 acres of land in Dhone constituency will receive water through 36 Minor Irrigation Tanks. Similarly, 5,784 acres in the Pattikonda constituency will be irrigated through 36 Minor Irrigation Tanks, while the Aluru constituency will see 197 acres benefiting from 3 Minor Irrigation Tanks, and the Panyam constituency will have 153 acres served by 2 Minor Irrigation Tanks. This totals 10,394 acres of irrigable land receiving water via 77 Minor Irrigation Tanks.
Moreover, the scheme will enhance drinking water facilities in these four constituencies and help boost crop production by raising the groundwater level. This lift irrigation project is particularly vital for the upland areas of Western Mandals in Kurnool District, which are historically vulnerable to drought and heavily reliant on rainfall.
Water will be transported by gravity through the construction of a pump house along the Handri Niva Main Canal in Lakkasagaram (Alamkonda). The scheme will lift 1.24 TMC (Thousand Million Cubic feet) of water within 90 days, utilizing 3×3,800 HP Motors, and redirect it to the delivery chamber at Katarakonda through a 5.6 KM Pressure Main.
The diverted water will then be distributed through 3 gravity pipelines. These pipelines will cater to 22 Minor Irrigation Tanks, covering an Ayacut (cultivable area) of 4,217 acres through Gravity pipeline -1, 16 Minor Irrigation Tanks, encompassing 3,018 acres of Ayacut through Gravity pipeline -2, and 23 Minor Irrigation Tanks in the Peapully branch, serving 2,065 acres of Ayacut, as well as 7 tanks in the Jonnagiri branch, covering an Ayacut of 830 acres, all via Gravity pipeline -3.
Furthermore, in addition to the proposed 68 minor Irrigation tanks, eight other tanks in the Dhone constituency and one tank in the Pattikonda constituency have been included in the project. This results in a total of nine tanks being connected to the pipeline network for water supply.
