The Andhra Pradesh Rythu Sangham on Sunday resolved to agitate from Monday for Krishna waters for the ryots under the Nagarjuna Sagar project (NSP) command area in Prakasam district.
Briefing newsmen on the party district committee meeting chaired by its president P. Venkata Rao, its district secretary N. Ranga Rao said “we will organise protests in 29 mandals coming under the NSP ayacut from November 19 to press for Krishna waters so that ryots can take up cultivation of irrigated dry (ID) crops during Rabi and make good their losses caused by Nilam cyclone”. A majority of the farmers whose ready-to-pluck Cotton and chillies crop had been snatched away by rain fury came under the NSP aycut, he said.
He said under normal condition farmers grew with NSP water paddy in 1.85 lakh acres and ID crops in 2.50 lakh acres every year.
The State Government had released water for paddy cultivation even when the NSP level was 520 ft and for dry crops when the level touched 510 ft, he explained.
He said now that the level in NSP at 535 ft as against full level of 590 ft and the level in Srisailam at 865 ft as against full level of 885 ft, water could be released with proper planning for cultivating maize, vegetables and tobacco in the district.
With one TMC water, farmers could take up cultivation of ID crops in 30,000 acres, he said, adding leaving the large tracts of land fallow would be at the cost of the nation’s food security.
The APRS wanted the authorities also to ensure adequate water to farmers who had taken up paddy cultivation in 32,000 acres under the Krishna Western Delta.
