Water shortage leaves Siddipet paddy farmers at crossroads

Paddy farmers in Siddipet are struggling to begin cultivation due to empty reservoirs, depleted groundwater and poor rainfall. Delayed irrigation, low sowing coverage and erratic power supply have worsened the situation, forcing many farmers to spend more on repeated sowing and borewells.

Siddipet: Paddy farmers are at a crossroads in Siddipet district as they have been unable to take up either paddy or alternative crop cultivation so far because the reservoirs remain empty while the groundwater table is depleting rapidly.

Out of the 5.40 lakh acres under cultivation in the district, farmers cultivated paddy on 3.85 lakh acres during Vanakalam 2025. As the IMD predicted poor rainfall this year, the Agriculture Department proposed restricting paddy cultivation to 3.20 lakh acres while encouraging farmers to opt for alternative crops.

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However, farmers have taken up paddy cultivation on only 38,000 acres so far. Against the proposed cotton cultivation on 1.48 lakh acres, sowing has been completed on only one lakh acres. Overall, farmers have completed sowing on only 1.65 lakh acres against the proposed cultivation area of 5.40 lakh acres so far.

Most paddy farmers are dependent on Godavari water. Since the government has made no effort to lift water from Kaleshwaram to Ananthagiri Reservoir, Ranganayaka Sagar, Kondapochamma Sagar and Mallanna Sagar, water levels have declined considerably in these four reservoirs. As the district recorded a 40 per cent rainfall deficit during the first one-and-a-half months of the monsoon, the groundwater table also depleted, resulting in borewells and open wells drying up.

The minor irrigation tanks have also not received any inflows so far. Meanwhile, farmers are finding it difficult to save the crops that have already sprouted due to the lack of rainfall. As only about half the seeds have sprouted, many farmers have gone for a second and third round of sowing, increasing their cultivation costs.

In a desperate search for water, farmers are drilling borewells and desilting open wells across the district. Adding to their woes, TRANSCO has failed to provide round-the-clock power supply. Farmers staged a protest at Akberpet-Bhumpally against unscheduled power cuts, demanding at least 18 hours of power supply to the farm sector.

Reservoir storage levels:

Annapurna Reservoir: FRL – 3.5 TMCft | Present storage – 1.45 TMCft
Ranganayaka Sagar: FRL – 3 TMCft | Present storage – 1 TMCft
Mallanna Sagar: FRL – 50 TMCft | Present storage – 14 TMCft
Kondapochamma Sagar: FRL – 15 TMCft | Present storage – 6.30 TMCft