Farmers seek irrigation water as D-26 canal fails to reach tail-end areas in Nagarkurnool

Farmers dependent on the D-26 main canal in Nagarkurnool are struggling with inadequate irrigation water as silt, vegetation and stones block the canal. They said crops across nearly 3,000 acres are withering and demanded immediate desilting and removal of unauthorised pumps.

Nagarkurnool: Farmers dependent on the Kalwakurthy Lift Irrigation D-26 main canal are facing severe difficulties due to insufficient water supply. Silt, wild vegetation and stones have accumulated along the canal, preventing irrigation water from reaching tail-end areas and causing crops to wither.

The D-26 is one of the main canals originating from the Gudipalli reservoir. It spans nearly 26 kilometres and passes through Taduru mandal. The canal supplies irrigation water to farmers in Gunta Koduru and several other villages and serves requirements of tail-end villages, including Nandigama in Kalwakurthy mandal, Naganool and Madapur in Veldanda mandal, and several villages in Charakonda mandal.

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However, the canal has not been desilted for the past two years. As a result, a two-foot-deep layer of wild vegetation, sand and stones has accumulated in the canal. While water flows through the first five kilometres, it fails to move further downstream, farmers complained.

Large and medium farmers upstream are pumping water directly from the canal using motors. This is leaving small and marginal farmers in the tail-end areas without sufficient water. Consequently, cotton, paddy and maize crops are drying up, they said.

The D-26 canal supports an ayacut of approximately 4,500 to 5,000 acres. Currently, crops on about 60 per cent of this land, or roughly 3,000 acres, are withering. On Wednesday, several farmers from Guntakoduru village in Taduru mandal visited the Collectorate and appealed to officials for irrigation water.

The farmers demanded the immediate removal of weeds and silt from the D-26 canal and its distributaries. They also sought the removal of unauthorised pumps installed across the canal and measures to ensure that water reaches the tail-end areas of the command area.

They expressed anguish that despite appealing to the Collector and irrigation officials over the past month about their withering crops, there had been no response.

Earlier, the Guntakoduru farmers staged a protest outside the irrigation office at Sripuram Junction in Nagarkurnool town, demanding the release of irrigation water to save their crops. Subsequently, they submitted a formal representation to officials at the Collector’s office.