Farmers furious over stoppage of water

Kadapa: The future of Kadapa farmers, who are irrigating crops under Kurnool-Cuddapah (KC) Canal, is hanging in balance due to lack of coordination between public representatives and officials over release of water from KC Canal for Kharif crop in the district.

With heavy inflows into Srisailam reservoir in July month, the Irrigation Advisory Board (IAB) meeting held on July 29 in the presence of Revenue Minister KE Krishnamurthy, Kurnool in-charge Minister Kalva Srinivasulu, Marketing Minister C Adinarayana Reddy and TTD Chairman Putta Sudhakar Yadav.

The IAB took a decision to release 20 tmcft of water to KC Canal. Farmers took up paddy cultivation in 1.3 lakh acres in Kadapa district and 70,000 acres in Kurnool district under the KC Canal with the release of water on July 29. On August 4th, Kurnool Collector S Satyanarayana and Irrigation CE Narayana Reddy during a press conference made an appeal to the farmers to concentrate on irrigating alternative crops instead paddy as inflows were not reaching Tungabhadra and Srisailam reservoirs.

The CE informed the media 146 tmcft of water is available in Srisailam dam as against 485 tmcft. The farmers hopes were dashed as the Irrigation officials stopped releasing water into KC Canal from August 5th by saying it was a government order.

“Farmers became scapegoats of the mindless decision taken by the government over release of water from KC Canal,” M Subba Reddy of Duvvur mandal told The Hans India. Meanwhile, the issue took a political turn with the YSRCP deciding to stage a highway blockade for stopping release of water from Srisailam reservoir to KC Canal. Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Mydukur YSRCP MLA S Raghurami Reddy warned of intensifying agitation if the government fails to release water to KC Canal for Kharif season.