Dam water levels fast falling in Telangana

Hyderabad: The monsoon, if it comes in the next three days, will literally be a godsend as the water levels in Telangana reservoirs are dwindling fast.

Even so, with predictions of a deficit monsoon, the Telangana could be in for a rough time. And the crunching power shortage could exacerbate matters as the state’s farmers are heavily dependent on borewells for irrigation purposes.

Experts opined that unless the state government comes out with a contingency plan immediately, the delayed monsoon would have an adverse impact on agriculture and allied activities this year.

“Most of the farmers in Adilabad, Karimnagar and Warangal are opting for cotton which requires a large quantity of water. With water levels dwindling in reservoirs, and the ground water levels falling due to lack of rains, the government should encourage farmers to go in for short term crops,” said G.V. Anjaneyulu, executive director, Centre for Sustainable Agriculture.

He said the agriculture sector in the state has been facing a crisis for three to four year due to prolonged dry spells in rainy season.

“The gap between the rain spells has been widening. With this, the seeds sown by farmers are drying up. In drought conditions, farmers should not opt for water-sensitive crops like maize, paddy, cotton and others. Unfortunately, the state government has not been alerting farmers regarding this,” Mr Anjaneyulu added.

The delayed monsoon has also affected ground-water levels in the entire Telangana region.

Since a majority of farmers in Telangana depend on borewells for agriculture, dwindling ground water levels have dismayed farmers.

The situation is expected to further deteriorate in the coming days, if the rains are delayed further.

Not only agriculture, but also drinking water in the rural areas of Telangana will be severely affected due to this.

Dwindling water levels

Reservoir            Full Reservoir Level       Current Water Level
                               
Sriramsagar              1,091 ft                                   815.6 ft
Nizamsagar              1,405 ft                                  1,379.54 ft
Singur                      1,717.93 ft                             1,691.71 ft
Nagarjunasagar          590 ft                                      520.4 ft
Lower Mannair           920 ft                                      882.7 ft
Srisailam                    885 ft                                      815.6 ft
Kaddam Dam             700 ft                                       686.7 ft
Jaikwad Dam            1,522 ft                                   1,491.37 ft
Jurala Project           1,045 ft                                   1,030.51 ft