Extreme rainfall and flood intensity not seen in 30 years take a toll on irrigation and road infrastructure
Anantapur district is known for dry land and scanty rainfall with the second lowest annual rainfall after Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, but in 2021 November saw a completely different picture due to the impact of climate change which resulted in irrigation and road connectivity. There was heavy damage to the infrastructure.
A look at the rainfall in the district with heavy inflows in four rivers – Chitravati, Penna, Hagri and Papgani and some drains like Madileru in Karnataka will help to understand the magnitude of the damage.
Against the normal 34.7 mm of rain for November, 202.3 mm of rain was recorded at the end of the month by 482.8%, the highest in 30 years. On 19 November, the district recorded the highest single-day rainfall in 30 years, with 19 places receiving more than 100 mm of rain. The southeast and northwest monsoons together brought in 673 mm of rain, as against the normal 483.7 mm, a 39.1% excess rainfall for the entire season.
The district, known for 1,437 ponds and ponds dug by the Vijayanagara kings and the people themselves, survives on water stored in them for drinking and irrigation purposes. But 35 minor irrigation tanks and three medium irrigation sources could not withstand the heavy inflow and suffered dam piping damage, dam leakage, cracks, drainage damage, and holes near structures.
The Minor Irrigation Department alone has estimated restoration cost of Rs 8.87 crore for undertaking both temporary and permanent works.
The Penna Ahobilam Balancing Reservoir, built on Penna, had never seen the river flow to its capacity in the 28 years prior to November, necessitating the lifting of sluice gates to allow water into the spillway. HLC and HNSS Superintending Engineer Nayakanti Rajasekhar says that the Hundari Neeva Sujala Shravanthi (HNSS) canal network saw damage at 66 places and temporary restoration work is being carried out at a cost of ₹3.47 crore.
Permanent repairs are still being anticipated and could be part of a modernization plan if the government wants to restart stalled projects.
Tungabhadra Project High-level canal modernization proposals sent by irrigation officials last year with an estimated investment of ₹ 1,600 crore were turned back by the government and no progress has been made despite the state losing the water allocated. Due to the low drainage capacity of the canals, Andhra Pradesh has been drawing less quantity throughout the season for the past several years.
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