Paddy fields in the Musi Project ayacut remain green with irrigation support from the project’s right and left canals and groundwater sources. (DC File image)

At the time when the water level in irrigation projects is falling to an alarming level and ayacut farmers are struggling for irrigation facilities to save their crops, the farmers of ayacut of Musi Project at Bopparam in Nalgonda district are having a favourable time.

They face no problem of irrigation and the ayacut areas are appearing as green pastures due to the medium irrigation project brimming with water.

The water level in Musi project was at 637.8 feet on Monday as against the full tank level of 645 feet. Water was released to the right and left canals for ayacut for four wettings in this Kharif crop season, which would ensure a bumper crop for the farmers of the ayacut.

The total area of ayacut under the Musi project is 30,000 acres. Another 10,000 acres would be irrigated through the village tanks, which would be filled with water from the medium irrigation project. A majority of the farmers in the ayacut have taken up cultivation of paddy and cotton in this Kharif crop season and the crops have reached the harvesting stage.

In the deficit rainfall time too, the farmers of the villages along the Musi river in the upper areas of the project were facing no irrigation problem. Cultivation of paddy dominated the area.

Cultivation with Musi water would impact the quality of paddy up to Valigonda. But, after Mothkur, the impact of Musi pollution on the crop would be less as the Bikkeru stream would join the Musi at vardhamankota in Suryaet district.

The farmers of the villages along the course of Musi were drilling borewells and pumping water to their agricultural fields. Crops even in a single acre have not dried up in these villages that ably combated the El Nino effect. Roughly, some 10,000 to 15,000 acres was being cultivated with the irrigation facility through such borewells.

Crops in about 14,770 acres were getting irrigation facility through the right canal of the Musi project, benefiting the farmers of 20 villages in Nalgonda district. Crops in 15,230 acres were getting irrigation facility in 21 villages in Suryapet district through the left canal.

A farmer, Nallabelli Yadagiri from gattu Singaram of Addaguduru mandal in Suryapet district, said he has been cultivating paddy in his two acres of agricultural land with supply of water through a borewell drilled in Musi river for over a decade. Even when there is no flow of water in Musi, his agricultural borewell would not dry up. Hence, farmers like him set along the Musi river never bothered about deficit rainfall or ground water level, he stated.

Another farmer from the same village, Maddi saidulu, said that he drilled three borewells in Musi and was providing water to the paddy in his 12 acres. The cost of drilling a borewell in a sandy area of Musi was less compared to the drilling borewells on the land, he added.

A farmer from Kethepally, G Ramesh, said he has taken up paddy cultivation in his two acres and is getting the irrigation facility through a canal of the Musi project. His paddy has reached the harvesting level. He exuded confidence that the farmers of the ayacut of Musi project would face no water problem.

Deputy executive engineer of the Musi project, S Ramesh, said irrigation facility would be provided to the crops, whose sowing was taken up late in the ayacut. Depending on the water level in the project, a decision would be taken on providing irrigation to crops of the Yasangi season by holding discussions with the elected representatives and ayacut farmers, he said.

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