Exodus as drought sets in on Kurnool

KURNOOL: One third of Kurnool district is reeling under drought. Of the three divisions - Kurnool, Adoni and Nandyal - the drought is most severe in Adoni division. “Adoni, Mantralayam, Yemmiganur, Aspari, Kodumur and Dhone are feeling the brunt this year. The groundwater level has dropped.  There is no fodder for cattle. People are migrating in search of employment. It is a strange phenomenon. Birds from hundreds and thousands of miles are reaching the Rollapadu sanctuary, while people are leaving the area to find work to eke out a living,” said Mrs Vasantha, who teaches sociology at a women's college in Kurnool.

Nearly half the doors are locked due to water scarcity at Joharapuram, a village on Andhra Pradesh-Karnataka border. At least 1,500 families, who were not able to face drought have migrating to Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Guntur and Vijayawada for work. It is a daily ordeal for those left behind to get a pot of water. They use multiple modes of transport like bullock carts, motorbikes and cycles to fetch a bucket of water. Some are drawing water at Vakkkirenu kunta where the drain and dirty water is stored some two km from the village.

“I had seven acres of agriculture land and my sons cultivated pappu senaga (like red gram) with at an expense Rs 3 lakh but we get only 35kgs instead of 35 tonnes due to continuous drought,” said Vanka Pullaiah a small marginal farmer. As the drought in the last three years drained him out, he lost all hope on agriculture and wants to pursue an alternate source of income. But in despair, Pullaiah said he does not know any other trade or commerce.

Recently the Central drought team met the district officials at government guest house in the district where the district collector and joint collector C. Harikiran explained the drought conditions in the district.  The crops in an extent of 3.50 lakh hectares withered completely, the JC explained the team. The district administration submitted the report to the Centre to sanction Rs 347 crores as crop loss remuneration, Rs 11 crores as drinking water scarcity, and Rs 15 crores as cattle grass assistance.

APCC to launch stir against drought after ugadi fest:

APCC chief N. Raghuveera Reddy said the Congress would fight against the government's apathy towards the farming community.  “We will observe Ugadi at Porata Nama Samvatsaram to fight against the delay in completing irrigation projects,” Mr APCC chief said. The Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee leaders sat on a satyagraha to highlight the severe drought in Anantapur district.

Mr Raghuveera Reddy said that impact of the drought had been worsened due to the negligence of state government. He said farmers had migrated to Kerala and other states to work as labour.  He said the Telugu Desam government had failed in all aspects to help the drought-hit district. “After Ugadi, the Congress will take up an agitation across the state to mount pressure on the government to complete long-pending irrigation projects. The Congress government had initiated irrigation projects,” he said. The leaders called off  the hunger protest in the evening by having ragi jawa. Leaders K.V.P. Ramachandra Rao, Nadendla Manohar and others participated.