Why in News
In a surprise move, the Andhra Pradesh government on Thursday took control of what it called “its legitimate area” of the Nagarjuna Sagar Project (NSP) Right Canal on the Krishna River, and released 3,000 cusecs of drinking water.
The released water was within the limits of the legally allocated quantity by the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB), the government claimed.
Nagarjuna Sagar Project
The Nagarjuna Sagar Project is a multipurpose project on the Krishna River in Nalgonda district of Telangana.
It is India's third-largest multipurpose dam with gross storage capacity of 11.472 billion cubic metres (405.1×109 cu ft).
Its effective capacity is 6.92 cubic km or 244.41 Tmcft.
The project consists of a 590-meter (1,936 ft) long and 124.663-meter (408.99 ft) tall dam, the Nagarjuna Sagar Dam, across the Krishna River at Nagarjuna Sagar, a canal system for irrigation, and a hydroelectric power plant.
The project was initiated in 1955 and completed in 1967.
The dam was inaugurated by then Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi on 23 March 1969.
The project is named after Nagarjuna, a famous Buddhist philosopher, who lived in the region around 2,000 years ago.
The Nagarjuna Sagar Project is a major contributor to the agricultural development of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
It provides irrigation to over 6 lakh hectares of land, and generates about 1,450 MW of hydroelectric power.
The project has also been a major factor in the development of tourism in the region.
COMMENTS