Bleak situation for farmers if rains are further delayed
It will be delayed by another two months
By : a. ravindra seshu
Update: 2015-07-30 06:10 GMT
Khammam: The cultivation of paddy in kharif under the ayacut of Nagarjunasagar Left Canal in Khammam district may not be possible in August. It will be delayed by another two months. As the NSP reservoir water level is at 513 feet against 590 feet of full reservoir level, the farmers have been asked to wait another two months to grow paddy under the NSP ayacut.
The farmers used to cultivate paddy under NSP in August as they always did for seven years out of the past 10 years. It is believed that the conditions of 2009, 2011 and 2012 years may prevail this year too sending the farmers under NSP ayacut into panic. About 2.5 lakh acres in 16 mandals had paddy cultivation under NSP ayacut in kharif.
All the reservoirs including Almatti, Narayanapur, Jurala, Srisailam and Nagarjun-asagar were empty as the rains in Karnataka and Maharashtra was not to the expected levels. Irrigation officials said that it is a rare situation and releasing of water from Nagarjunasagar reservoir is not possible in August due to the prevailing situation.
Previously, water from Nagarjunasagar to the Left Canal was released on September 6 and September 2 in 2009 and 2010 respectively and October 20 in 2012. In case of water not touching 540 feet in Nagarjunasagar by the end of the October, the farmers have to choose alternate crops.
The agriculture department was asked to evolve alternate plans to face the situation. The government plan to make available the seeds such as maize, green gram, red gram, blackgram and jowar to the farmers in case Nagarjunasagar does not receive sufficient water.