Vijayawada: A staggering 798.017 thousand million cubic feet (tmc) of water has been wasted into the sea from the Prakasam Barrage since the beginning of the ongoing season in June 2024, thus, raising significant concerns about water management in the region.
As of 6 am on Saturday, only 93 tmc of this water was utilised for irrigation purposes across the combined districts of Prakasam, Guntur, Krishna, and West Godavari within the Krishna Delta. Of the 93 tmc used in Krishna delta, 12.21 tmc was sourced from the Godavari River through the Pattiseema lift irrigation scheme, while the remaining came from the Krishna River catchment area. In Sept alone, a significant 476 tmc of water flowed into the Bay of Bengal. However, the lack of additional storage infrastructure downstream from the Prakasam Barrage has resulted in the necessity of discharging excess water into the sea, leading to rampant wastage.
Irrigation experts are sounding the alarm on this pressing issue and emphasising the urgent need for new storage projects to manage water resources effectively. A check dam proposed at Chodavaram village, located just 12 km downstream of the Prakasam Barrage, aims to hold 4.131 tmc of water and comes with an estimated cost of 1,215 crore. Another proposed project at Bandikollanka village, approximately 62 km downstream, is designed to store 4.95 tmc and has an estimated budget of 1,350 crore.
Despite the pressing need for these projects, both have been sidelined, leaving water management in the region at a critical juncture. Currently, the gross storage capacity at the Prakasam Barrage is only around 3.1 tmc. This highlights the necessity for timely action to construct these vital dams.
Experts warned that without immediate intervention, the Krishna River will continue to suffer from significant water waste, undermining agricultural and irrigation needs across the delta region.
