Farmers in Medak face huge losses as rains erode lands

Heavy rains have damaged over 16,000 acres of crops in Medak district, in addition to earlier losses. Farmers face severe soil erosion and sand deposits after tank breaches, with demands for immediate government relief and compensation mounting

Medak: Crops over a vast extent have been damaged due to heavy rains across the erstwhile Medak district. According to preliminary estimates from the Agriculture Department, crops in more than 16,000 acres were affected. This comes in addition to the 7,000 acres of crop loss reported during the first spell of rains in August.

Apart from crop loss, sand deposited on fields downstream of minor irrigation tanks, river courses, and streams has caused massive damage. Since streams across the district overflowed onto adjoining fields, several agricultural lands also suffered soil erosion.

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Farmers now face the additional burden of spending heavily to restore their lands and remove the sand deposits. More than 50 irrigation tanks in Sangareddy and Medak districts suffered breaches due to the heavy rains, resulting in sand flooding onto farmland.

Makkala Narsimhulu, who owns 1.5 acres along Haldi Vagu near Medak town, said soil erosion severely damaged his land. He added that nearly 25 farmers in the area faced similar losses in the past week. Another farmer, Durga Sailu, said pumpsets, starters, and electric poles were also swept away, leaving farmers in deep distress. He estimated that each acre would require between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 2 lakh to be restored.

“It is not just my story or Narsimhulu’s. All farmers with fields along streams and downstream of minor irrigation tanks are facing the same situation,” Sailu said.

Former Minister T Harish Rao demanded that the government provide Rs 25,000 per acre of crop loss as immediate relief. He also urged compensation of Rs 1 lakh for farmers whose lands were eroded or sand-filled. Officials said an accurate enumeration of crop loss will be carried out in the coming days.