‘Engineering flaws’ led to flooding of fields with backwaters of Kaleshwaram project in Manthani

K M Dayashankar

PEDDAPALLI:  Congress legislator from Manthani and former Minister D Sridhar Babu has alleged that because of “human error” the floods had inundated several agricultural fields in the Manthani assembly segment following the entering of backwaters of the Kaleshwaram project entering into the fields.

The state government had filled the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages by lifting the waters from the Kaleshwaram project even before the onset of the rainy season. Even as the weathermen were predicting about heavy rains in the state, the government had not released the waters into the river Godavari, he said and added that due to sudden and heavy inflows into the projects following the rains, they released the floodwaters which had entered the fields and damaged the standing crops.

Mr Sridhar Babu visited the agricultural fields damaged due to the backwaters of the Sundilla and Annaram projects in the Manthani segment on Saturday and interacted with the farmers and inspected the damages. Speaking on the occasion, he charged that due to the ‘engineering flaws’, the backwaters had entered into the fields and caused damage to the farming community, who had taken up cultivation of paddy, maize and other crops.

Stating that the Kaleshwaram project had not provided any irrigation sources in the Manthani segment, he said that the farmers of the segment have lost their precious lands and houses. Demanding the government to estimate the crop damages caused due to floods and backwaters of the Kaleshwaram projects, he demanded suitable compensation to the farming community. He also suggested that the government should take measures to avoid the recurrence of such incidents and cause damages to the farmers. Congress Kisan cell state coordinator Sashibushan Kache and others were also present.

hindudayashankar