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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Plan of action to combat deficit rainfall

Special Correspondent

Rain-Shadow Area Department directed to start cloud-seeding within 10 days

— Photo: Mohd. Arif

Hoping for the best: Agriculture labourers sowing seed in a field on the outskirts of Sangareddy in Medak on Thursday.

HYDERABAD: Appealing to the people not to panic over the dry spell prevailing in the State, the government has announced a plan of action to combat the outcome of deficit rainfall.

As part of the plan that was finalised by Ministers N. Raghuveera Reddy (Agriculture), P. Lakshmaiah (Major Irrigation) and Mohd. Ali Shabbir (Energy) after reviewing seasonal conditions at a meeting here on Thursday, water will be released this week from Vamsadhara, Jurala and Yeleru projects to an ayacut of 4 lakh acres.

Negligible inflows

The meeting mainly dwelt on the negligible inflows into reservoirs, power cuts and poor kharif sowing, was attended by officials from Agriculture, Irrigation, Energy and Disaster Management departments.

At a press conference later, Mr. Reddy and Mr. Lakshmaiah said water would be provided immediately from irrigation projects for drinking purpose wherever required. Water would be released later for crops depending on inflows. Rain-Shadow Area Department and the CASWM have been directed to commence cloud-seeding operations within 10 days. The Ministers said regardless of the present shortage, seven-hour power supply would be ensured to agriculture sector at any cost, even if it meant further cuts to domestic, commercial and industrial sectors.

Plans had been drawn up to purchase 2,376 million units of energy from outside sources during July-November, whatever the cost.

Rain forecast

They said that there was a 35 per cent rainfall deficit this year. As a result, inflows to the reservoirs were nil and only 17 lakh out of the normal kharif area of 79 lakh hectares had been sown. They rejected a suggestion to declare affected districts as drought-hit.

Mr. Reddy said time was available till August 15 for paddy sowing and till July-end for other crops. He ruled out taking up a contingency plan to sow alternative crops as 20 days were still available for any sowing in general. Asserting that the situation was not alarming, he said the Meteorological Department had forecast rains in the next seven to ten days.

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