Farmers in Chief Minister’s home district worried over water scarcity

Farmers in Palamuru district are facing severe water scarcity, with falling reservoir levels and drying canals affecting cultivation. Many are waiting for water from the Jurala project, while others are reluctant to begin farming amid uncertainty over irrigation availability

Hyderabad: Like farmers in several other districts, those in Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s home district of Palamuru are deeply concerned over the lack of water for cultivation this season.

By this time last year, farmers had completed extensive sowing operations. This season, however, they are worried as water scarcity has left their fields dry. Fertile lands cultivated last year have turned barren due to the impact of El Nino. Small and marginal farmers are bearing the brunt of the situation as cultivation costs continue to rise.

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Farmers under the Koil Sagar ayacut are hoping that water will be released from the Jurala project to begin farming activities. After cotton, farmers in the erstwhile Palamuru district usually cultivate paddy on nearly 7.5 lakh acres. The Koil Sagar project irrigates nearly 12,000 acres of old ayacut and 50,000 acres of new ayacut.

However, water levels in projects such as Nettempadu, Bheema, Koil Sagar and Kalwakurthy have fallen sharply. Canals and borewells dependent on these projects are also drying up, adding to farmers’ concerns. The low water availability in the upstream areas of Karnataka has further worsened the situation.

Many farmers have appealed to the government to find an alternative mechanism to supply water to their fields and help them overcome the crisis. Given the prevailing conditions, several farmers are reluctant to take up cultivation this season.

Last year, officials released water from the Jurala project to Koil Sagar on June 2. Although water was released this year as well, it reached only up to the Pardipuram project. Many canals have almost dried up, leaving farmers in CC Kunta, Koukuntla, Devarkadra and Madanapur mandals anxious about taking up cultivation this season.