‘No village in State to get submerged due to Medigadda barrage’
| Date :24-Feb-2020 |
Staff Reporter :
But, 269.67 hectares of area spread across 11 villages in Sironcha tehsil of Gadchiroli district will get submerged
ONCE again, Medigadda Kaleshwar irrigation project (barrage) is in news. Building of water storage in the inter-State project involving Maharashtra and Telangana has created panic among the villagers. However, according to the officials, not a single gaothan will get submerged in entirety because of the project. Godavari river flows through Sironcha tehsil in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra. Telangana Government has completed the inter-State irrigation project of Medigadda-Kaleshwar on this river in a record 24 months. Some days ago,Telangana Government built full storage in the dam, owing to which water entered the farms along the canal in Arda, Nagaram, Sironcha, Taraspalli, and Mudkrishnapur villages in Sironcha tehsil. This irked the farmers.
Telangana Government dug up canal on Telangana and Maharashtra sides both. The canal passed through village Mogapur in Sironcha tehsil in Maharashtra.Through this canal, water from a nullah was arrested at Mogapur and then channeled into river Godavari. To ensure that the water from the nullahs/ rivulets did not enter the barrage leading to sedimentation, water was released into Godavari. However, this led to water gushing into the farms on the banks of nullahs/ rivulets. Later, Telangana Government reduced the storage level and the water receded from the farms. But, as the farmers were irked, Telangana Government agreed to pay compensation to the affected farmers.
Political parties also intervened in the matter and stood by the side of the farmers. Some even alleged that the villages in Maharashtra would get submerged. According to officials, however, no village/ gaothan will get submerged because of the barrage. Ramesh Jaswant, Tehsildar of Sironcha, said that not a single village in Sironcha tehsil would get submerged because of the project. The Government had issued notices to farmers for joint measurement of land.
The measurement has been completed in Nagaram, Sironcha, Taraspalli, and Mudkrishnapur villages, barring the land of 13 farmers in Arda village. As per the Water Resources Department ( WRD) of Maharashtra, with the water storage in the barrage reaching 100 metres, total 269.67 hectares of area in 11 villages in Sironcha tehsil will get submerged. This area includes 150.51 hectares of Government and private land, 117.44 hectares of land in river/nullah bed, and 1.72 hectares of road patch. Maharashtra Government opposed the full storage level of 102 metres, and accordingly the level was reduced to 100 metres.
Besides, said an official in WRD, as per agreement between both the States, Telangana Government will have to pay compensation for the damage caused to private land and property. Considering the possibility of flooding from the nullahs joining the river around Sironcha, the mechanism of joint measurement by both the States to take appropriate measures was spelt out. Besides, the height of bridges across the nullahs is to be raised to ensure that the contact of villages with Sironcha tehsil headquarters is not snapped because of submergence of bridges when water is released.
According to WRD officials, who wished to be unnamed, Medigadda-Kaleshwar barrage is going to help Maharashtra. Water from the barrage will be lifted to benefit Pentipaka (3,216 hectares), Rangayyapalli (848 hectares), Tekada (2,000 hectares), and Reguntha (2,052 hectares). Through these four schemes, 2.63 TMC water will be utilised and 7,118 hectares of Gadchiroli will be brought under irrigation. The work of Reguntha LIS has started and will be completed in two years, said an officer in the know of things.