Rajamahendravaram: Kharif water release from Cotton Barrage on June 1

Rajamahendravaram (East Godavari district) : Irrigation water will be released from the Cotton Barrage in Dowleswaram to the main canals of Godavari delta system on June 1, according to BC Welfare Minister Chelluboina Srinivasa Venugopala Krishna and Home Minister Dr Taneti Vanita. They said that water was released on the same date last year as well. Positive results are possible with the decisions taken by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy for the welfare of farmers in the State, they added.

East Godavari District Kharif 2023 (Fasali 1433) Irrigation Advisory Board meeting was held at the Collectorate here on Monday. District Collector Dr K Madhavi Latha presided over the meeting.

Minister Venugopala Krishna said that coordination between officials is important when farmers take up sowing. ‘A special app should be created for this and should be monitored at field level. Farmers should be encouraged to sow crops on time.’ He ordered the officials concerned to draft a plan based on two factors - namely water availability at field level and cultivation area as per requirement. Especially there should be coordination between the irrigation and agriculture departments. Repairs and other works related to canals should be allotted to the farmers’ associations on nomination and the works should be completed. The Minister further said that it was the CM’s idea to cultivate three crops in Godavari Delta. He said that early cultivation in Kharif season would save the crop from natural calamities and added that this experiment gave good results in the last season.

Home Minister Taneti Vanitha stated that action should be taken considering the conditions and difficulties faced during last season. She said that farmers should be informed through Rythu Bharosa Kendrams, on which day cultivation water would be released to which mandal.

District Irrigation Water Advisory Board Chairperson and Collector Madhavi Latha said that irrigation water will be released on different dates in 18 mandals of the district. Farmers should be made aware of this in the mandal-level agricultural council meetings. The Collector stated that water should be released by June 15 for 6,240 acres under Chagalnadu Lift Irrigation.

East Godavari district ZP chairman V Venugopala Rao, DCCB chairman Akula Veeraju, Joint Collector N Tej Bharat, Assistant Collector C Yashwant Kumar and Irrigation SE G Srinivasa Rao participated in the meeting.