Rayalaseema Farmers Face Water Crisis as Crops Wither
More than one lakh acres of standing crops under the TB HLMC and LLC are reportedly at risk of withering
ANANTAPUR: Farmers dependent on the Tungabhadra High Level Main Canal (HLMC), Low Level Canal (LLC) and Handri Neeva Sujala Sravanthi (HNSS) project in Rayalaseema are facing a water crisis, with available supplies being prioritised for drinking water. Farmers in Karnataka under the Tungabhadra dam canals, meanwhile, are reportedly using water for irrigation.
More than one lakh acres of standing crops under the TB HLMC and LLC are reportedly at risk of withering. Chilli farmers who have raised nurseries for the coming season are also worried about losses if water is not released. On Wednesday, the Tungabhadra dam had 95 tmc ft of water against its full storage capacity of 105 tmc ft, with inflows and outflows at 8,239 cusecs. Dam authorities said additional water would be released only if heavy rains occurred in the upstream areas of the Western Ghats.
The Tungabhadra Board has allocated around 20 tmc ft of the available water for drinking water projects, including those supplying Anantapur city, Kalyanadurgam, Madakasira, Hindupur and Rayadurgam. Water is also to be released into the Kurnool-Cuddapah Canal to meet the drinking water needs of Kurnool city through the HLMC.
The LLC, which covers areas up to Adoni in Kurnool district, is also facing a shortage, with farmers alleging that water is being used for irrigation in adjoining Karnataka while supplies in Andhra Pradesh have been restricted to drinking water.
Rayadurgam MLA Kalava Srinivasulu asked the Anantapur district administration to review available water sources and release water to meet the needs of standing crops, warning that farmers could otherwise suffer heavy losses.
The HNSS main canal carries Krishna water from the Srisailam project through Malyala in Nandyal district and onward through Kurnool, Anantapur, Sri Sathya Sai and Chittoor districts to Kuppam. Farmers said that as the canal is lined and cannot recharge nearby borewells, only direct release into sub-canals could help save crops.
Uravakonda former MLA Y. Visweswara Reddy of the YSRC alleged that HNSS water was being diverted to Kuppam instead of being used to protect crops in drought-hit Anantapur. He demanded an Irrigation Advisory Board meeting to address the crisis and urged the government to press the Tungabhadra Board for additional water.
