Chilukur: Crops begin to wither away in Feb itself

Chilukur (Kodad Constituency) : Wells and boreholes are drying up and paddy fields are drying up as a scorching summer has already set in. Farmers are being forced to take resort to water tankers to protect their crops.

A stark example is witnessed in Dudiya Thanda village of Chilukur mandal of Kodad constituency which is being represented by the wife of irrigation minister Nalamada Uttamkumar Reddy , N Padmavathi.

A farmer Hatiiya, who has a 3 acre farm on the outskirts of Dudiyathanda village, rues that his well has dried up and there is not enough water for at least 20 kuntas of land. Paid to see the fields drying up in front of his eyes, he fetches water through tankers to irrigate the field. He has already called in tankers thrice to bring water from Kodad pond which is 10 km away. He says he incurred an expenditure of Rs 10,000 so far. Like Hatiya, several farmers are at a loss as the crops are withering away. Only few of them can afford to contract water tankers.