Kadiyam Srihari says he cannot assure irrigation water for paddy in Station Ghanpur

Station Ghanpur MLA Kadiyam Srihari said he cannot assure irrigation water for paddy this kharif season and advised farmers to opt for less water-intensive crops. Senior ministers also urged cultivators to conserve water amid rainfall deficits and declining groundwater levels.

Warangal/Khammam: Proving the fact that the Congress government has failed to handle irrigation sector and lack of water due to the El Niño effect this monsoon Station Ghanpur MLA Kadiyam Srihari stated that he was unable to ensure water supply for paddy in the constituency.

The MLA’s remarks validate how the government has been causing distress to farmers, who were already grappling with a lack of rainfall, while undermining Kaleswaram project’s usage in the present circumstances.

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Speaking at a programme in the constituency on Thursday he said if he promises to provide water, farmers would sow paddy only to find- after a month or two- that the water could not be supplied.

Instead, the farmers should cultivate crops requiring less water like maize, red gram or green gram. If farmers were determined to cultivate paddy, there was still a window of about a week to ten days.

If it rains, farmers could go ahead with paddy. “But do not rush into it and face ruin; I am currently not in a position to supply water. Efforts are being made to bring water from the Devadula project to resolve the crisis,” Srihari noted.

Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao has also been making similar statements asking farmers to shift towards cultivating alternative crops that require less water. Given the limited water availability in the projects, every drop must be used judiciously.
If farmers insist on cultivating paddy despite officials having raised awareness about alternative crops since April 2026, they would face severe difficulties, the minister warned in separate meetings held in Khammam recently.

Likewise, Deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka stated that groundwater levels would drop further in the coming two months due to the lack of rainfall and urged farmers not to cultivate paddy; to choose crops based on water availability.

He told officials to clearly inform farmers that there was no possibility of receiving water from Nagarjuna Sagar Project for the current kharif season and that water would not be available for the Palair ayacut either.

Water-intensive crops like paddy should not be encouraged under any circumstances and cultivating paddy using borewells could lead to severe difficulties, he added.