Uncertainty over Karnataka water release leaves Jurala farmers in distress

Farmers in the Jurala ayacut are worried over uncertainty surrounding the release of Krishna water from Karnataka’s Narayanpur project. With Jurala storage at around 4.5 TMCft and inflows declining, farmers fear standing crops could wither unless adequate irrigation supplies reach the region

Hyderabad: Uncertainty over the release of Krishna River water from the Narayanpur project in Karnataka to the Jurala project in Telangana is causing distress among farmers in the erstwhile Mahabubnagar district, with crops in the Jurala ayacut already showing signs of withering due to inadequate water supply.

Last month, the State government sought water from Karnataka after the storage level in Jurala fell and farmers demanded irrigation supplies. A team led by Ministers Jupally Krishna Rao and Vakiti Srihari visited Karnataka on September 22, following which the Karnataka government reportedly agreed in principle to release water to Telangana. However, the release has remained uncertain amid opposition from farmer organisations in Krishna basin districts of Karnataka.

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The situation has caused concern among farmers dependent on the Jurala ayacut, which covers nearly one lakh acres. Farmers’ groups have questioned official records showing that 27,600 cusecs of water was released from Narayanpur to Jurala between September 24 and October 1. They claimed that the Narayanpur gates were not opened and that the recorded inflows were the result of rainfall upstream.

The live storage in the Jurala project is now around 4.5 TMCft, while farmers estimate that at least 5-6 TMCft is required for the standing crops to reach harvest. Inflows had also fallen to around 500 cusecs by early October.

Officials, however, said the water release began soon after Karnataka agreed to supply water to Telangana. They said canal and lift irrigation releases were subsequently stopped from October 1 and that water supply to the Palamuru region would resume on October 7 under the Warabandi system, under which water is supplied to different areas on a rotational basis.

With fresh inflows remaining low and farmer organisations in Karnataka opposing the release of water to Jurala, farmers in the region fear further damage to standing crops.