Pedda Vagu left in limbo

metro india news  I Ashwaraopeta

The bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh has turned into a major setback for farmers dependent on the Pedda Vagu Project. Although the project is located in Telangana, the majority of its command area now falls in Andhra Pradesh, raising questions over who is responsible for its maintenance. As a result, irrigation has been disrupted, leaving agricultural lands barren.

It has been two years since the Pedda Vagu medium irrigation project, located at Gummadapalli in Ashwaraopeta mandal of Bhadradri Kothagudem district, suffered a major breach. Built in 1976, the project was designed to irrigate about 16,000 acres across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Since then, the project has suffered from official neglect. Neither state has taken full responsibility for its maintenance, and no major repairs were undertaken, causing the structure to deteriorate over the years. Farmers also allege that the Godavari River Management Board (GRMB) has failed to monitor or address the project's problems despite it being an inter-state irrigation asset.

Major Breach in 2024

After nearly a decade of neglect, the project suffered a major breach during heavy rains in July 2024. Several sections of the embankment were damaged, while smaller breaches also appeared along the bund. Floodwaters inundated Gummadapalli and Kothuru villages, deposited sand over agricultural fields, and submerged thousands of acres of crops in both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

To provide temporary irrigation to Telangana farmers, the state government spent about Rs 3 crore to construct an internal ring bund within the reservoir. It also announced that the damaged main embankment would be fully restored before the 2025 monsoon and said Andhra Pradesh's cooperation would be sought.

Officials estimated that comprehensive repairs and canal restoration would cost around Rs 100 crore. Proposals were reportedly sent to both state governments for approval.

File Stuck, Farmers Continue to Suffer

However, the project has made little progress. Farmers lost the 2025 agricultural season, and although the 2026 season has arrived, only administrative approval has reportedly been granted. Financial and technical clearances are still pending.

The delay has already cost thousands of farmers two consecutive crop seasons, resulting in losses worth several crores of rupees. Farmers now fear they may lose another season if repairs are not completed soon.

Many believe that the state's bifurcation has left the Pedda Vagu Project in administrative limbo, with neither government taking full ownership. During the last monsoon, lakhs of cusecs of water flowed wastefully into the Godavari River through the breached embankment because repairs were not carried out.

Ayacut farmers are now urging the authorities to act immediately and complete the restoration works so that irrigation water can be supplied before the next cropping season.

Farmers suffer as two states show no accountability

Before the state's bifurcation, the project served the mandals of Ashwaraopeta, Kukkunoor, and Velerupadu, all then part of the undivided Khammam district. Following the division of the state, only about 2,000 acres of the command area remained in Telangana's Ashwaraopeta mandal, while the remaining 14,000 acres shifted to Andhra Pradesh after Kukkunoor and Velerupadu became part of the Polavaram submergence region.