The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Ryots take to streets as standing crops wither

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Feb 24, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Ryots take to streets as standing crops wither

By Our Staff Reporter

KHAAMAM, FEB. 23. Standing crops under the Nagarjunasagar left canal are on the verge of withering. The farmers, who are in for a trying time, have been mounting pressure for release of more water. But the project authorities are helpless. The volume of flow into the canal cannot be increased with adequate improvement in the reservoir level.

A three -kilometre long approach of left Canal has been silted up and hence the drawl of water has been restricted to 3,700 cusecs. So far as the right canal was concerned the drawl of water was in the order of 8,000 cusecs. The irrigation authorities have made it clear that the left Canal would not be able to get more water without raising the reservoir level to 510 feet from the present level of 503.9 feet.

Endless wait for water

A major share of the water let into the left canal is going for the standing crops (in about 1.5 lakh hectares) in the first zone covering Nalgonda district. Hardly one tenth of the canal flow could reach Paleru balancing reservoir supporting the supply system for zone II ( Khammam) and Zone III ( Krishna). There is about four lakh acres of wet and dry awaiting water supply in the two zones.

As there was virtually no supply for the crops under important majors and distributaries for over 10 days, the farmers are agitated. It triggered a wave of protests in the district. The political parties have also been staging protests to press the demand for water. On Wednesday, Telugu Desam Party workers, led by the party district president, Tummala Nageswara Rao, staged a protest in front of the office of the Nagarjunasagar Left Canal Superintending Engineer, demanding release of water for standing crops.

Bleak prospects

The Rabi crop in 21,920 hectares under the left canal in Khammam was affected. So was the case with the sugarcane crop raised in 1,617 hectares. The sugarcane farmers in Nelakondapalli mandal took to streets and stopped the movement of vehicular traffic on Khammam -Kodad road for four hours on Tuesday. Maize, chilli and groundnut crops are also hit.

Though the farmers were assured of water supply till the end of March for the crop under the Nagarjunasagar project, there would not be any significant improvement in the supply to the left canal unless the reservoir level was built up to 510 feet.

Otherwise, the silted up stretches of the canal approach should be cleared immediately.

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