The words of the Alliance (Kootami) leaders are crossing forts, but after the YSR regime, the waters of Mother Krishna via the Handri-Neeva project are failing to cross the threshold of Anantapur. Despite this, it has become a custom to blow their own trumpet through "bhaka" (client) media, claiming a "water splendor with Tungabhadra and Krishna waters."
Immediately after coming to power, the Alliance government boasted like "mighty men," claiming they spent ₹3,850 crores in 100 days to complete the widening of Handri-Neeva Phase-1 and lining works of Phase-2. They bragged about carrying 3,850 cusecs per day, totaling 1 TMC of water every three days.
The Reality of the Numbers
From July 17 to today, December 27—a span of 5 months and 10 days—pumping was carried out at Malyala. According to official figures:
* Only 32.85 TMC reached the district border.
* Only 30.35 TMC reached the Jeedipalli reservoir.
This averages to about 5.50 TMC per month, meaning not even 2,000 cusecs reached daily. If their claims of 3,850 cusecs were true, the district should have received 10 TMC per month, totaling 55.50 TMC in five and a half months. Since this didn't happen, the public outcry that the ₹3,850 crore of public money was spent solely for the benefit of contractors has been proven true.
Ignored Expert Advice
District residents, farmers, and intellectuals warned that bringing 3,850 cusecs per day would be useless. They argued that unless 11,500 cusecs are brought daily, it is impossible to secure 40 TMC during the 40-day Krishna flood window. Ignoring this, the government squandered thousands of crores of public money in great haste.
To cover this up, they are getting their "bhaka" media to write stories claiming that 450 ponds in the combined Anantapur district have been filled and groundwater levels have surged. They may satisfy themselves with these reports, but they haven't provided water to a single acre of land, and not a single farmer has benefited.
The HLC Situation
For the High-Level Canal (HLC), the major irrigation source for Anantapur, the official allocation this year is 25 TMC, though the legal right is for 32.5 TMC. Due to the faulty gates at the Tungabhadra Dam, there was only a capacity to store 80 TMC. Fortunately, because the floods lasted longer this year, 23.85 TMC has arrived so far. Otherwise, the HLC would have gone bone-dry.
Admission from Within
If the "water splendor" stories in the media were true, why did former Tadipatri MLA JC Prabhakar Reddy (from the same Alliance party) visit the District Collector yesterday with farmers? He pleaded for water from the Subbaraya Sagar reservoir to be released to Putluru, Komatikuntla, and Garuguchinthala Palli ponds. He stated that without this, there wouldn't even be drinking water and that supply is already being done through tankers. He noted that water must be supplied from the MPR South Canal to Subbaraya Sagar for at least 125 continuous days to quench the thirst of the region. This admission by their own party leader proves that the media reports are mere fabrications.
Conclusion
In Anantapur district—which has the lowest rainfall in the country and is a perpetually drought-prone region—such writings only serve to please those in power. They do nothing for the farmers or the public. Much like the "Boy Who Cried Wolf" story, these leaders are simply losing their own credibility.
0 Comments