No alarm system at projects

Kumram Bheem project 

The rainwater is being released to downstream from irrigation projects without prior warnings or alerting the people of the downstream in the Adilabad district.

Water released from Kumram Bheem and Mattadi vagu irrigation projects were over flowing as they received huge rainwater from the upstream and following the heavy rains. 

Generally, cattle grazers cross the steams and rivulets while returning to home, youth venture into streams for swimming and fisherman fish in the streams and rivulets in the downstream.       

As many 1,500 cusecs water released to downstream from the Mattadu vagu project by lifting one gate on Saturday while  24,000 cusecs water from Kumram Bheem project by lifting three gates the first day.

According to official sources, as many as 40 mandals received excessive rainfall while 12 mandals normal out of total 52 mandals in the district. The district received average rainfall 69.4 mm on July10. While received 413 mm actual rainfall against the normal rainfall 284.1 mm in the last month one.

Three youth were washed away in the water released to downstream from Kumram Bheem project without altering the people of downstream in the past.

There was no alarming system in place at the majority irrigation projects to alert the villagers before releasing the water to downstream from the projects and this has become the cause of concern in the wake of monsoon in the district.

The alarm system was not set up at Kumram Bheem medium irrigation project at Ada village in Asifabad mandal though it was inaugurated officially by releasing water from left canal of the project by the then chief Minister N. Kirankumar Reddy in November, 2011.  

Four SSC students of Nazrulnagar of Kagaznagar mandal swimming in the Peddavagu at Namanagar village washed away in the waters suddenly released from Komarambheem Project following the heavy inflows into project following the incessant rains on July24, 2012. 

A washerman also washed away and an RTC bus with passenger was stranded in the flood waters near Bhainsa when water was released from Suddavagu project without giving any alarm to alert people in the past.    

There was no monitoring system in place to alert the people of villages along the Saraswati canal in Nirmal division if water released into the canal from the Sriram Sagar Project (SRSP).

There are nearly ten medium and minor irrigation projects in the district includes Kumaram Bheem, Sripada Yellamapalli, Gollavagu, Rallivagu, Vattivagu, Kadam, Mattadivagu, Satnala, Suddavagu, and Neelvai. Another medium irrigation project Jagannathpur project at Kagaznagar is under construction.