With the water level in Palair balancing reservoir in Kusumanchi mandal hovering at 15 feet, much below its full capacity of 23 feet, the ayacutdars under the Nagarjunasagar Project (NSP) left canal system in the district are keeping their fingers crossed over the prospect of their kharif crops.
The NSP left canal system has a vast ayacut of over 2.50 lakh acres under zone I and II spread in 16 mandals across the district.
As rains continue to elude the catchment areas of Krishna river it its upper reaches, the water level in the Palair reservoir fed by the NSP is depleting gradually, triggering anxiety among the ayacutdars of the NSP canal system in the district.
The farmers of Nelakondapalli and Kusumanchi mandal, mainly the sugarcane growers, are running from pillar to post seeking release of water from the reservoir to the Palair old channel to save their standing crops on over 10,000 acres.
They laid siege to the main road in Palair on Thursday demanding release of water to protect their standing crops.
However, the NSP officials concerned reportedly expressed their helplessness to release water from the Palair reservoir at this juncture. They stressed the need for maintaining the prescribed water level in the reservoir to meet the drinking water needs of Khammam town.
Though many parts of the district received normal rainfall this month, the uneven rainfall has become a cause of concern for farmers elsewhere in the district.
A total of 30 mandals received normal rainfall, seven mandals excess rainfall and four mandals deficient rainfall in the district so far in the current month.
The district recorded 186.4 mm rainfall as against the normal of 267.3 mm so far this month.
The fate of the transplanted crops in the NSP ayacut area in the district is hanging in balance due to non-release of water from the Palair reservoir so far in the present agricultural season, says N. Nageswara Rao, assistant secretary, Telangana Rythu Sangham.
There were instances of release of water from the reservoir when the water level was as low as ten feet, he points out, and insists that the State government should immediately come to the rescue of NSP ayacutdars.
A delegation of the Rythu Sangham will submit memorandums to this effect to the persons at the helm of affairs on Monday and chalk out the future course of action in the next few days, he asserts.
