Thousands of acres may go dry

Kurnool: Farmers are expressing anger on officials of the Irrigation department over abrupt stoppage of water supply to Kurnool-Cuddapah (KC) Canal. Crops raised depending on KC water are in the harvest stage and they may face massive loss if crops dried up due to non-release of water to KC Canal. 

According to official information, farmers have raised cotton, red gram, black gram, maize, jowar and paddy crops in an extent of 88,000 acres in Kurnool and 30,000 acres in Kadapa.  Paddy has been harvested while the other crops are yet to harvest.

Thikka Swamy, a farmer of Jupadu Bungalow, said that he has cultivated red gram and jowar in an extent of 5 acres under KC canal. The crops are at flowering stage and it needs two to three wettings. “If the officials did not release water, then the entire crop will wither away.

Water to KC canal has been stopped for the last 20 days. We have no other source to wet the crops as we are totally dependent on canal water,” stated Thikka Swamy.

Another farmer, Mahabub Hussain said that he has also raised maize, red gram and black gram in 5 acres. His entire crop needs water for another 20 days to get harvest. “Very recently, the untimely rains have caused great damage to the crops. 

Though we have faced the damage, yet again raised maize, red gram and black gram,” he mentioned. He requested the Irrigation officials to save their crops by releasing water to KC Canal. 

Karunakar, CPM leader of Jupadu Bungalow mandal, came down heavily on the ruling party district leaders for showing more interest to provide water to Anantapur district.

He said that several farmers of Bhaskarapuram, Tatipadu, Tharigopula, Jupadu Bungalow, Nandyal, Pagidiyal and Nandikotkur have cultivated various crops depending on the KC water. He demanded that the government should immediately release water to the standing crops till March 13.