Prakasam farmers seek release of Krishna water

They hold demonstration

Farmers staging a protest in Ongole on Wednesday.

Farmers cutting across party lines staged a demonstration in front of Prakasam Bhavan here on Wednesday demanding release of the Krishna water to drought-prone Prakasam district as per its entitlement under the Bachawat Tribunal Award.

Leading the protest, Prakasam District Development Forum president Ch. Ranga Rao said the crops raised under Addanki and Ongole branch canals were fast drying up due to inadequate realisation of water from Guntur district.

It was unfortunate that even when Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar put together had a storage of over 420 tmcft of water, farmers in the district were denied their rightful share of the Krishna water, he opined.

Though the region was entitled to assured water as per the award, water was allegedly diverted to the projects constructed based on flood waters in Rayalaseema, dashing the hopes of farmers in drought-prone Prakasam district who were expecting release of water for cultivation of paddy after missing it in the last three years, alleged N.G. Ranga Kisan Sabha secretary Ch. Seshaiah.

Farmers who have been hoping against hope to save the standing khariff and take up cultivation to the full extent during the rabi season were a worried lot as a mere 500 cusecs of the Krishna water was realised especially in the tailend areas, said YSR Congress Party farmers wing district president Mareddy Subba Reddy.

Less water flow

The water flow was far less than the stipulated 2,000 cusecs at M.18/0 of ABC near Adavipalem on the Guntur-Prakasam border, Congress farmers’ wing district president V. Rajagopala Reddy complained.