Gundlakamma water, a distant dream for farmers November 24, 2011 By Md. ilyas | DC Ongole Exactly three years on by Thursday, people are yet to benefit from the fruits of the Kandula Obul Reddy Gundlakamma project taken up at an estimated cost of Rs.592.18 crore to provide irrigation and drinking water in Prakasam district. Exactly three years on by Thursday, people are yet to benefit from the fruits of the Kandula Obul Reddy Gundlakamma project taken up at an estimated cost of Rs.592.18 crore to provide irrigation and drinking water in Prakasam district. Known to be the first irrigation project under Jalayagnam, water from the reservoir is yet to reach farmers due to delay in construction of sub-canals and the issues of rehabilitation of the displaced. The project works got underway on November 24, 2008. The Gundlakamma stream which originates from Gundlabrahmesw-aram in the Nallamala forest near Giddalur travels all the way to Chinamalla-varam in Maddipadu mandal, a stretch of 216 km. Having no storage facility in between, all the water culminates in the Bay of Bengal with the exception of the Cumbam pond which receives some water from the stream. In this backdrop, the project was initiated to supply irrigation water to 80,060 acres and drinking water to 2.56 lakh population in 43 villages of six mandals including the district headquarters of Ongole. Though government had sanctioned Rs.297.95 crore, rehabilitation issues are not solved yet. Displaced families demand houses in lands close to national highway 5 but unavailability of lands is a problem for officials. The land acquisition department had agreed to pay money to the displaced families to shift into rented houses until the sanction of house sites but the villagers are adamant. Recently, villagers of Duddukuru moved court, objecting to the acquisition of their lands for Gundlakamma canal construction. Several other cases are also in the way of canal works. Amidst all this, the reservoir has become a tourist place with parks on the bunds and boating facility. People in large numbers, come on Sundays and holidays. Recently, project officials had to release water to save residents of Garlapadu and Dhenuvukonda from inundation. Farmers’ organisations demand a quick resolution of relief and rehabilitation issues to complete canal construction works, thereby supplying water to rabi crops.