Farmers in Telangana are facing severe challenges this Yasangi season in cultivating their crops due to insufficient irrigation water and depleting groundwater levels. The situation is particularly dire under the Nagarjuna Sagar left canal ayacut.
To protect their crops, farmers are being forced to dig new borewells. Despite efforts to do so, the expected results are not materializing due to a decline in groundwater levels. Tanks in the region are also experiencing a decline in water reserves, further exacerbating the groundwater issue.
The inefficiency of the Congress government in supplying irrigation water through the Kaleshwaram project, coupled with other factors, has contributed to the looming drought in the Wanaparthy district. Previously, the Godavari water from Kaleshwaram was distributed in six phases every seven days. A weekly release of 17,500 cusecs was carried out, with 2500 cusecs released per day for a duration of 42 days. However, since the Congress came into power, there has been a reduction in the water release to 10,800 cusecs per week, distributed at a rate of 1800 cusecs per day. This decrease has resulted in a shortfall which is adversely impacting the cultivation.
In February, farmers in Yedutla village of Wanaparthy district dug a staggering 100 borewells. In a village with 1,800 farmers, 744 individuals are engaged in cultivating paddy during the Yasangi. Unfortunately, despite the efforts, 20 out of the 100 boreholes in Yedutla did not yield any water, highlighting the severity of the situation.
Similar challenges are faced by farmers in Kalvarala village, where 50 borewells were drilled in a month. Despite reaching depths of hundreds of feet, these borewells are not providing the expected water supply. Each farmer in these areas is resorting to digging five or six borewells, spending more than Rs. 50,000 on each borewell