Winter water woes send chills down the spine of tribal farmers

Many from Vinukonda segment prefer to migrate in search of livelihood

December 08, 2018 12:08 am | Updated 12:14 am IST - CHAKRAYEPALEM THANDA (GUNTUR DT)

Vagaries of weather:  As borewells dried up , people are depending on water tankers to meet their needs in Chakrayepalem tribal hamlet of Bollapalli mandal .

Vagaries of weather: As borewells dried up , people are depending on water tankers to meet their needs in Chakrayepalem tribal hamlet of Bollapalli mandal .

The parched landscape at the entrance of the village is a telling sign. As one enters Chakrayepalem Thanda in Bollapalli mandal, located at a distance of 100km from Guntur, the sight of women queuing up before a borewell is a bit of a surprise in winter. Down the road, one can see the withered chilli crop and at a distance, a cloud of dust rises in the skyline as yet another borewell is sunk deep in the ground. Yes, these are telling signs of a looming drought in the tribal hamlets of Vinukonda Assembly segment.

Over 1,000 people living in this tribal hamlet are having their worst nightmare after borewells in their village have dried up three months back. With no water to meet their daily needs, men and women are forced to migrate in search of work. The District Water Management Agency (DWMA) sunk three more borewells, but the attempts were futile.

“We are forced to put up with the ordeal of having no water. Farmers are digging borewells up to 1,000 feet but still there is no water. The cotton and chilli crops are withering away in the harvest season. We have invested about ₹1 lakh on each acre and we have no way out,’’ says village elder Eslovathu Somala Naik.

Water woes in this region usually start in the beginning of summer, but these are changing times, as the groundwater levels have sunk to an abysmal low.

Rocky terrain

“The rocky terrain in Bollapalli is a huge disadvantage as it does not allow for construction of farm ponds and check dams.

“We have tried to convince the locals but they have not shown interest,’’ says former project director, DWMA, P. Srinivasulu. Some of the locals have benefited from the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme but that proved to be not much.

“We have not been given full wages. I got just about ₹1,500 after working for three weeks even after our names have been entered in the muster rolls,’’ says V. Lakshma Naik.

Alternatives fail

With the borewells going dry, farmers are now digging new ones. “I have dug up a borewell spending close to ₹1 lakh to save the chilli crop, which is on the verge of a harvest, but my hopes are going dry as there is no water,’’ says K. Manthru Naik, a farmer.

Fears over summer

The prevailing drought conditions, on the other hand, have forced many families to migrate to other towns in search of jobs.

“Men and women have been leaving the village in search of better livelihood and if this is the condition in winter, we fear the worst in summer,’’ says Ramana, an RMP in the village.

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