YS Jagan inaugurates second tunnel of Owk project, releases 20,000 cusecs of water

NANDYAL: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday inaugurated the tunnel-II of the Owk project to the people by unveiling its pylon and releasing 20,000 cusecs of water from Gorakallu reservoir to Owk reservoir amid recitation of hymns by Vedic pandits here.

The State Government had so far spent Rs 1,501.94 crore on Owk tunnels with Rs 567.94 crore being incurred on tunnels I and II. Out of the 5.801 km length of tunnel-III, an extent of 4.526 km was completed with a cost of Rs 934 crore and the works relating to the rest of 1.275 km were in full swing. The total cost of tunnel-III was estimated at Rs 1,297.78 crore.

Last year, the Chief Minister dedicated to the people Nellore and Sangam barrages which are the lifelines of Penna delta and the Handri-Niva Lift Irrigation project that would fetch water to 77 lakes to meet the drinking and irrigation needs of the western parts of Nandyal and Kurnool districts. Due to the sustained efforts of the Chief Minister, the Government paid a compensation of Rs 1,000 crore to the displaced persons of Gandikota reservoir in which 26. 85 TMC of water could be stored in successive years from 2019.

The displaced persons of Chitravathi reservoir were paid compensation Rs 250 crore after which officials had succeeded in storing water to its capacity level against the storage of four TMC of water during the TDP rule. The Irrigation Department could also maintain capacity water levels in Velugodu reservoir from 2019 after the Government spent Rs 500 crore and completed the lining works of the link canal and Telugu Ganga canal.

The Owk project witnessed hectic activity when Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy was the Chief Minister as the then Government spent Rs 340.53 crore completing the major portion. However, the project was neglected between 2014 and 2019 as the TDP Government abandoned the fault zone spending a meager Rs 81.55 crore following which the present Government sanctioned necessary funds and completed the tunnel-II with Rs 145.86 crore.

With the release of water to Owk reservoir, an integral part of the Galeru-Nagari Sujala Sravanthi (GNSS) project, the Government had fulfilled the long cherished aspirations of Rayalaseema people. While tunnels I and II facilitate the daily release of 20,000 cusecs of water into the Owk reservoir during flood season, completion of tunnel-III would facilitate release of another 10,000 cusecs daily.

With the completion of the tunnels, Gandikota, Vamikonda, Sarvaraya Sagar, Mylavaram and Paidipalem reservoirs would receive additional one TMC of water daily for irrigating 2.60 lakh acres in the erstwhile Kadapa, Chittoor and Nellore districts besides stabilizing 1.31 lakh acres of Ayacut and providing drinking water to 20 lakh people in 640 villages. While it would help fill the Gandikota reservoir in a fortnight through Galeru-Nagari flood canal, Rayalaseema would receive two TMC of water daily in flood season.