Timely rains rescue withering groundnut

Tirupati: The incessant rains in the district is experiencing for the last three days proved timely as they helped the farmers to save their groundnut crop. Groundnut, which is the major crop in the rainfed areas in Chittoor district was taken up in an area of about 1.35 lakh hectares in the present Kharif season but was almost withering in most mandals due to continuous dry spell for the last four weeks.

The farmers, who have taken groundnut in the Kharif heaving a sigh of relief with the rains like to continue for few more days. Joint Director of Agriculture (JDA) Vijay Kumar said that the rains proved a boon to the district, immensely helping to save the standing groundnut crop in the district while it also triggered agriculture operation for the Rabi season where the farmers failed to take up any Kharif crop.

"We were much worried about the survival of the groundnut taken up in 1.35 lakh hectares with the dry spell continuing but where relieved with the rains breaking the dry spell," he observed. According to official sources, the incessant rains pouring since three days saw as many as 47 mandals receiving normal rainfall including 15 mandals recording excess rainfall and the remaining 32 mandals normal rainfall. While 18 mandals receiving deficit rainfall and one mandal scanty rainfall.

The average rainfall recorded (on Tuesday 8 am) in 66 mandals was 29.9 mm. The district normal rainfall for August is 117.4 mm against which the actual rainfall the district received so far was 124.7 mm i.e. 6.3 mm rainfall more than normal rainfall.

While in July also the district received more than normal rainfall which is 101.9 mm against which the district received 104.1 mm rainfall in July. But in the beginning of June, 64.8 mm against normal rainfall 78.7 mm i.e. 15 per cent deficit. The heavy rains in the catchment area of Kalyani dam saw the dam receiving three feet of water.

Corporation officials said that the minimum water level required in the dam is 6 metre for drawing water. Meanwhile, Municipal Corporation of Tirupati (MCT) Commissioner PS Girisha along with senior engineering officials on Monday inspected Kapilatheertham waterfalls and also the areas through which the stream flowing down in the city to explore the possibility of impounding the water for utilising it to the requirement of the city to cope with the increasing demand for the water in the fast growing pilgrim city.