Handri-Neeva Sujala Sravanthi project is the longest water
canal project in the region of
Rayalaseema
Rayalaseema () is a geographic region in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It comprises eight south western districts of the State namely, Kurnool, Nandyal, Anantapur, Sri Sathya Sai, YSR, Annamayya, Tirupati and Chittoor districts ...
,
Andhra Pradesh,
India. The project was conceived to provide a reliable
irrigation and drinking water supply for the region through drawing flood waters from the
Srisailam reservoir.
The first phase of the canal begins at Malyala and irrigates six
lakh
A lakh (; abbreviated L; sometimes written lac) is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand (100,000; scientific notation: 105). In the Indian 2,2,3 convention of digit grouping, it is written as 1,00,000. For ex ...
acre
The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial
Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism.
Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to:
Places
United States
* Imperial, California
* Imperial, Missouri
* Imp ...
s in four districts of Rayalaseema, while the second phase provides irrigation facilities and drinking water for
Chittoor district
Chittoor district () is one of the eight districts in the Rayalaseema region of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The district headquarters is located at Chittoor. It has a population of 4,170,468 according to 2011 census of India. It lies in ...
. This canal links the Handri,
Penna
Penna may refer to:
* 7mm Penna, a handgun cartridge
* Monte Penna, a mountain in northern Italy
* Penna (surname)
* Penna, Tasmania, a suburb of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
* Penna in Teverina, a comune in Terni, Umbria, Italy
* Penna River, a ri ...
,
Chitravathi,
Papagni, Mandavya, Bahuda,
Cheyyeru
Cheyyeru is a village in Katrenikona Mandal, located in Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-la ...
, Gargeya,
Vedavati,
Palar and several smaller rivers in the
Rayalaseema
Rayalaseema () is a geographic region in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It comprises eight south western districts of the State namely, Kurnool, Nandyal, Anantapur, Sri Sathya Sai, YSR, Annamayya, Tirupati and Chittoor districts ...
region. The canal is located in the
Kurnool
Kurnool is a city in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. It formerly served as the capital of Andhra State (1953–1956). The city is often referred to as "The Gateway of Rayalaseema".Kurnool is also known as The City of Gem Stones. It also se ...
,
Ananthapur,
Kadapa, and Chittoor districts.
The canal feeds several reservoirs and water tanks in the region. More than 50
Tmcft of water is required to meet the region's drinking and irrigation water requirements.
History
The project was originally conceived by
Englishman Sir Arthur Cotton
General Sir Arthur Thomas Cotton (15 May 1803 – 24 July 1899) was a British general and irrigation engineer.
Cotton devoted his life to the construction of irrigation and navigation canals throughout British India. He helped many people by b ...
in the late 19th century. However, designs were only finalised during the term of
N. T. Rama Rao in the 1980s and 1990s. Budget allocation began in 2004 during the tenure of
Y.S.Rajasekhara Reddy.
The first phase of construction of the project began in 2016, during the tenure of Shri
Nara Chandrababu Naidu.
The project is designed to utilise surplus water from the
Krishna river;
however, this river is unreliable and does not ensure consistent allocation of water to the
drought-prone
Rayalaseema
Rayalaseema () is a geographic region in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It comprises eight south western districts of the State namely, Kurnool, Nandyal, Anantapur, Sri Sathya Sai, YSR, Annamayya, Tirupati and Chittoor districts ...
and
Nellore districts. Several political members had previously demanded speedy completion of irrigation projects in Rayalaseema.
The two
riparian states of the
Krishna River,
Andhra Pradesh and
Telangana, are involved in a dispute over sharing water of the river.
The Project
The lift canal has a length of nearly 550 km. The canal starts from the back waters of the
Srisailam reservoir at Malyala and is routed along the hill ridges up to the highlands in
Chittoor district
Chittoor district () is one of the eight districts in the Rayalaseema region of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The district headquarters is located at Chittoor. It has a population of 4,170,468 according to 2011 census of India. It lies in ...
via the many lifts and pumping stations in the
Kurnool
Kurnool is a city in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. It formerly served as the capital of Andhra State (1953–1956). The city is often referred to as "The Gateway of Rayalaseema".Kurnool is also known as The City of Gem Stones. It also se ...
,
Ananthapur and
Kadapa districts. The canal feeds many tanks used for drinking water and irrigation. The project plans to draw nearly 40 Tmcft of water annually from the
Krishna River.
The minimum draw down level for the Malyala pump house is
MSL.
The project's annual operational requirement is 653
MW and 1.9 billion
KWh
A kilowatt-hour (unit symbol: kW⋅h or kW h; commonly written as kWh) is a unit of energy: one kilowatt of power for one hour. In terms of SI derived units with special names, it equals 3.6 megajoules (MJ). Kilowatt-hours are a common bil ...
of electrical energy, which is used to pump nearly 30 Tmcft of water.
The first phase of the canal (220 kilometers in length), from Srisailam to
Jeedipalli reservoir
Jeedipalli Reservoir is an irrigation project located in Anantapur district in Andhra Pradesh, India. It receives water from Handri-Neeva canal which draws water from Srisailam reservoir. It is located in Jeedipalli village of Beluguppa mandal ...
, has been completed. This reservoir is located at Chinna Mushtur village in Ananthapur district. 3 balancing reservoirs constructed in Phase 1. These include Krishnagiri (Kurnool District), Pathikonda Reservoir (Kurnool District), and Jeedipalli Reservoir (Anantapuramu District).
The second phase (349 kilometers in length, 75% completed) of the main canal leading up to Adivipalli Reservoir in
Chittoor district. Running at full capacity, it is predicted to give IP to 404,500 acres and drinking water facilities for 23 lakh people in 293 villages in the region. It will use 26 Tmcft of water to this effect, diverted through the 3 branch canals Madakasira, Punganur and Niva and the 3 distributaries Atmakuru, Thamballapalli, Vayalpadu. In the upland areas of Rayalaseema District (
Anantapur
Anantapur, officially Anantapuramu, is a city in Anantapur district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the mandal headquarters of Anantapuru mandal and also the divisional headquarters of Anantapur revenue division. The city is loca ...
,
Kadapa and
Chittoor), the canal will fill six reservoirs -
Veligallu Dam Reservoir and 5 balancing reservoirs constructed in Phase-II,
Gollapalli Reservoir (Anantapuramu), Cherlopalli Reservoir (Anantapuramu), Marala Reservoir (Anantapuramu), 4. Srinivasapuram Reservoir (Kadapa), and Adivipalli Reservoir (Chittoor).
The Handri-Neeva can also feed by gravity the
Tungabhdra high level canal and many other medium & minor tanks in
Penna River basin to provide drinking water during severe droughts. This canal also feeds water to
Bhairivani Tippa reservoir and other medium & minor irrigation tanks located in Krishna river basin of Ananthapur district to ensure the sufficient water in the area even during droughts. Thus, the canal also serves as an alternate source to feed Krishna river water to major, medium & minor irrigation projects, which have access to nearly 45 Tmcft of Krishna water under
Bachawat tribunal award allocations.
To make the lift canal operational for catering to drinking water needs even during a severe drought year,
K.C. Canal water sourced from
Sunkesula
Sunkesula is one of the largest barrages across the Tungabhadra River in Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh, India. It was built in 1861, during the British raj
The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) ...
Barrage can be fed to the canal's pump house by gravity when water level in the Srisailam reservoir is below the minimum draw down level required by the water pumps.
A supplementary pump house at Mutchumarri, which will draw water from Srisailam reservoir at MSL is in an advanced stage of construction. This pump house with its pipelines and canals can feed the nearby K.C. canal in addition to the Malyala pump house of Handri Neeva lift canal from dead storage water even during very poor monsoon year.
Map
Google interactive Map for Rayalaseema
Rayalaseema () is a geographic region in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It comprises eight south western districts of the State namely, Kurnool, Nandyal, Anantapur, Sri Sathya Sai, YSR, Annamayya, Tirupati and Chittoor districts ...
Irrigation Project
See also
* K. C. Canal
Kurnool Cuddappah Canal popularly known as K.C. Canal is an irrigation canal located in Kurnool and Kadapa districts in Andhra Pradesh, India.
History
The K.C.Canal was constructed between 1863 and 1870 as an irrigation and navigation canal. Thi ...
* PABR Dam
* Nagarjuna Sagar tail pond
* Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal
References
{{Hydrography of Andhra Pradesh
Dams in Andhra Pradesh
Krishna River
Lift irrigation schemes
Canals in Andhra Pradesh
Canals opened in 2012
2012 establishments in Andhra Pradesh