Farmers pushed to their limits in for irrigation water in Khammam

Farmers in Khammam’s Wyra reservoir ayacut are worried over uncertainty surrounding irrigation water supply for standing crops. Farmers staged a protest demanding water from the reservoir, while officials said drinking water requirements remained the priority amid uncertain future inflows

Khammam: Ambiguity over the supply of water for standing crops has been pushing farmers to their limits in Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao’s Khammam district.

The sad state of farmers in the district was amply revealed during a protest by BRS, CPM and CPI (ML) Massline at Wyra on Monday, demanding the release of irrigation water from Wyra reservoir to crops in the command area.

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During the protest, an aged farmer, Bodepudi Madhava Rao, fell at the feet of an SI, pleading for the release of water to save the crops, as irrigation officials said they did not have instructions from higher authorities to release water for crops.

The farmers complained that even as there is 17 feet of water in the reservoir, water is not being released to feed the crops. It might be noted that Minister Nageswara Rao maintains that he told officials to ensure water supply to standing crops, while officials are refusing to release water for irrigation needs.

The Minister stated that he had instructed the district Collector and irrigation department officials to work in coordination to ensure timely supply of irrigation water to crops under the Sagar Ayacut in Khammam district. The issue was brought to the attention of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy last week, he said.

However, Collector Divakara TS stated that meeting drinking water requirements is the primary objective at present; farmers should consider water availability and opt for crops that require less water for cultivation.

The current water level in Palair reservoir stands at 17.3 feet, sufficient to meet the drinking water needs of Khammam, Suryapet and Mahabubabad districts for nearly 60 days, while the water level in Wyra reservoir is 16.8 feet, enough to provide drinking water for Wyra and Madhira constituencies for about 135 days. A decision regarding the release of irrigation water would be taken based on future rainfall and the inflow of floodwaters into the projects, he noted.

Particularly, the farmers in Wyra reservoir ayacut are a worried lot as officials who released water earlier have stopped releasing water. A farmer, A Purnachander Reddy of Narapunenipalli, said he has taken up paddy cultivation on 15 acres and stopping water release all of a sudden is not right.

According to the district agriculture officer, D Pullaiah, of the total cultivable land of 5.80 lakh acres in the district, paddy usually occupies 3.05 lakh acres. So far, paddy has been sown in 1.5 lakh acres and its cultivation has to be managed with water from local tanks or bore wells, but not with water from reservoirs in the district.

Green gram has been taken up in around 30,000 acres, chilli in 30,000 acres and cotton in 2.30 lakh acres, while about 50,000 to 60,000 acres of land remained vacant without any crops being taken up, he noted.