HYDERABAD: Reversing an earlier decision, the Andhra Pradesh Government has resolved to take up cloud-seeding operations this year too in order to offset the adverse impact of the dry spell on agriculture.

This was announced by Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy at a press conference here on Thursday after reviewing the seasonal conditions in the State. The operations, which will begin on August 15, are expected to cost Rs. 17 crore. The Government earlier opted against cloud-seeding as Met officials had forecast a normal monsoon this year. But it has now decided to take up the operations jointly with Karnataka and Maharashtra and the involvement of the Union Government. Accordingly, the Chief Minister has written to the Prime Minister proposing joint cloud-seeding with Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad, serving as the nodal agency. The Chief Minister said the rainfall deficit this season had been 34 per cent so far.

The State as a whole received 142 mm of rain as against the normal 216 mm. There was a rainfall deficit of 20-60 per cent in all districts barring Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Chittoor.

Contingency plan

He unveiled a contingency plan for taking up alternate crops such as castor and sunflower in areas where crops had dried up or where lands were left fallow. Dr. Reddy said sowing had been done in 28 lakh hectares (normal 42 lakh ha) of which 3.5 lakh hectares had dried up.

Sowing of grass

The plan provides for taking up sowing of grass over a large extent.

Fodder seed worth Rs. 1.5 crore had been supplied to farmers, he said.Dr. Reddy said Srisailam and Nagrajunasagar reservoirs had 680 tmcft of water, which was 200 tmcft more than last year. The requirement of Krishna delta and the Nagarjunasagar command area would be taken care of while water was released into the KC Canal shortly, he added.

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