The drought situation is severe in Prakasam district, opined Mr. G. Ram Babu, leader of the Central team that toured different parts of the drought-hit district on Tuesday.
“We will submit a comprehensive report to the Union Government presenting a realistic picture of the drought situation in the district,” Mr. Ram Babu, along with other two inter-ministerial Central team members S.C. Meena and H.R. Khanna, told the media after extensively touring the worst-affected western parts of the district, including Podili, Konakanamitla, Markapur and Bestavaripeta mandals.
Making a PowerPoint presentation at Markapur, Joint Collector Hari Jawaharlal urged the Centre to release ₹1,400 crore to take up drought mitigation measures, including provision of drinking water to people and cattle till the onset of Southwest Monsoon later this year and provide wage employment to farm labourers for 150 days in a year.
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“The water problem which used to be severe only during the summer months, has surfaced in December itself with the drying up of 6,286 of the 26,535 borewells in the district,” he explained, adding that 2,800 trips by water tankers had to be undertaken to 379 habitations.
YSR Congress Chief Whip in Parliament Y.V. Subba Reddy and Markapur MLA Janke Venkat Reddy wanted the Central team to give top priority to providing safe drinking water to people, particularly in the western parts where about 427 people had succumbed to fluoride-induced chronic kidney disease in the last two years. Ensure early completion of Veligonda project for a permanent solution to the drinking water problem, they said.
Meanwhile, Animal Husbandry Joint Director N. Rajinkumari put the fodder demand at 10.80 lakh tonne and the shortage at 40,000 tonne, she envisaged a 6% fall in milk production in the district from the last year’s 10.41 lakh tonne. She sought ₹27.23 crore to provide fodder seed to farmers and concentrated feed for animals.
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‘Water trains’ sought
Meanwhile, a delegation of CPI(M) leaders led by Markapur Division secretary D. Somiah urged the Central team to recommend for operation of “water trains” on the lines of the one arranged for Latur in Maharashtra, to ensure safe drinking water to the habitations in Giddalur, Yerragondapalem, Markapur and Kanigiri Assembly constituencies which faced severe fluoride problem due to depletion of groundwater levels.
Senior TDP leader Anna Ram Babu urged the Central team to treat western Prakasam as a separate unit, as it faced drought in four out of every five years and announce liberal financial assistance to take up relief works.
Farmers narrate woes
Pouring out their woes, a group of farmers in Madalavaripalem in Podili mandal said they had grown red gram in 196 acres during kharff and not in a position to get back even the seed cost due to scanty rainfall in October and November.
“I have sunk four borewells to save the standing crops. But my efforts went in vain,” lamented B. Ramesh Babu.
Cattle being sold
They were forced to send their cattle to slaughter houses as ensuring water and fodder proved to be a daunting task even in January, said a group of farmers in Mugachintala.
They send about 500 heads of cattle per week to S.N. Padu or Markapur shandies from the village as they were clueless on how to save these hapless animals, they added.
“I parted with the premier Ongole bull bought at a cost of ₹1 lakh for a mere ₹40,000,” said a grief-stricken farmer, Ch.Ramaiah, from K.K.Mitla. “I sold my buffalo bought for ₹50,000 two years ago for just ₹15,000 earlier this month,'' another farmer said, adding that he was not in a position to purchase fodder at the rate of ₹15,000 per tonne.
On the lines of the Polavaram project, the Centre should designate the Veligonda project as a “national project” and provide immediately ₹2,000 crore for its completion on a war-footing. The project was originally scheduled to be completed in 2008 but missed several deadlines for various reasons, said a group of farmers in Markapur. “Completion of this project is the only way to ensure drinking and irrigation water to the parched district,” they added.