Karimnagar: Double trouble for farmers as sand accumulates in flood-hit paddy fields

Almost all water bodies including tanks, ponds and rivulets had overflowed following the incessant rainfall hit the district in the recent past

Karimnagar: Spelling more trouble for the already beleagured farmers in the erstwhile Karimnagar district, sand stocks are piling up in fields with standing crops in different areas of the district.

Almost all water bodies including tanks, ponds and rivulets had overflowed following the incessant rainfall hit the district in the recent past. There were incidents of breaching of bunds of tanks and check dams that were unable to accommodate the heavy inflows.

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However, while farmers suffered huge losses after standing crops in some areas were washed away in flood water, they are facing additional trouble with sand dunes getting accumulated in agricultural fields.

According to Agriculture department officials, sand stocks were accumulated in about 640 acres of paddy and cotton fields in Karimnagar district alone.

Paddy crop spread in more than 50 acres were destroyed as sand piled up in paddy fields in Thadikal of Shankarapatnam mandal. Like other water bodies, Thadikal Peddacheruvu had also overflowed due to the heavy rains.

As a result, flood water entered paddy fields on either sides of the rivulet up to Mutharam. The sand that flowed along with the flood water has now accumulated in the paddy fields.

Standing paddy crop of small and marginal farmers was damaged with the mounting of sand stocks.

Speaking to Telangana Today, a farmer from Thadikal, Dubbaka Narsaiah, said his paddy crop was damaged as sand stocks accumulated in his field. Narsaiah, who owns 20 guntas of land on the bank of the rivulet, had sowed paddy.

In 2020, Thadikal Peddacheruvu had overflowed and water had entered agricultural fields, but the damage was minimal. This time however, the damage was heavy, he said.

Another farmer, Sunkari Sampath, wanted the State government to provide compensation for the damaged crops. They had spent Rs.15,000 to sow paddy on one acre of land. The amount includes tilling of land, purchase of seed bags, two bags of fertilizer, plantation and other expenditure. The entire amount has gone wasted with sand accumulating in the fields, he said.

Another farmer, Yellaiah, said they would have to remove the sand if they wanted to sow the crop again. This would be a costly exercise, with tractor operators charging anything upwards from Rs.1,000 per hour and sometimes up to Rs.15,000 as well, he said.