Farmers argue over Betupalli waters

KHAMMAM: Another inter-district row over sharing of irrigation waters is set to flare up in the state, with farmers of Khammam and West Godavari districts preparing to fight it out over the proceeds of the Betupalli reservoir in Sattupalli mandal.
I n d u s t r i e s minister Kotagiri Vidyadher Rao,who represents Chintalapudi constituency in West Godavari, and roads & buildings minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, representing Sattupalli constituency in Khammam, are arguing the case of their constituents.
Sources said Vidyadher Rao had taken the matter to the chief minister two days ago and had sought his intervention in the issue. Following this, the chief engineer of the irrigation department visited Sattupalli on Sunday.
For five decades, excess water from the Betupalli reservoir has been let out into West Godavari through the NTR Canal on the Tammileru stream. The government then constructed a flood flow canal in 1998 to store excess water from the Betupalli reservoir. Since then, farmers of Sattupalli and Vemsoor in Khammam district have been sandbagging the canal bund.
Farmers of Chintalapudi in West Godavari, led by Vidyadher Rao, too have taken up the issue with the chief minister arguing that Sattupalli farmers are not authorised to divert excess water.
The farmers of Sattupalli and Vemsoor claim that they have a right to the water from Betupalli. Rangareddy, a farmer of Sattupalli, said water should be let out into West Godavari only after the needs of Vemsoor and Sattupalli have been fulfilled.
L Banda Reddy, the chief engineer deputed by the chief minister to assess the situation, inspected the Sattupalli and NTR canals on Sunday and ruled that sandbagging the canal was not a violation as Khammam farmers have the right to use water from Betupalli.