a boon to farmers of 5 villages in rural mandal:TRLIS

Amaravati: Upland area farmers are recording highest yield from their paddy fields by using Tarakarama Lift Irrigation Scheme (TRLIS) water in five villages of Vijayawada rural mandal in Krishna district.About 3,000 acres of land is being cultivated in both kharif and rabi seasons with average production of 45 to 60 bags of paddy per acre.Kothuru, Vemavaram, Jakkampudi, Tadepalli and Shabada villages get irrigation water from the TRLIS scheme.

Highlights:

• 3,000 acres covered under the scheme.
• Farmers have been able to improve paddy yields from 25 to30 bags per acre to 45 to 60 bags per acre both in rabi and kharif seasons.
• They are able to earn an income of Rs 1 lakh every year.

The lift irrigation scheme is constructed on the water used by the power plant.Water Resources Department (WRD) authorities constructed TRLIS for the use of Vijayawada Rural, Ibrahimpatnam and G Konduru mandal villages two decades ago. But, it has been delivering results for the last six years. Earlier, these villages depended on the monsoon for cultivation of paddy.

But, the TRLIS changed their lives.Irrigation engineers diverted the water coming from NTTPS to TRLIS canal for cultivation of paddy and other crops. As part of the project, the authorities constructed two pump houses at Kothuru Tadepalli and lifting the water from canal and supplying by gravity up to Velagaleru village of G Konduru mandal in Krishna district. Previously, farmers of these villages cultivated paddy only in kharif season that too depending on rainfall. The yield was also very low between 25 to 30 bags per acre.Now days have changed.

Farmers are able to produce 45 to 60 bags per acre both in kharif and rabi seasons. Two crops in a year has definitely transformed the lives of thousands of farmers in these villages.Uppalapati Venkata Rao, a beaming young farmer from Kothuru Tadepalli, told The Hans India that he got 56 bags output from his paddy field in kharif season.
“I had never expected this type of produce.

Tarakarama Lift irrigation scheme significantly improved my paddy yields,” he said. D Siva Rama Krishna, an old farmer and president of Kothuru Water Users Association (WUA), said people of five villages are extremely happy with the TRLIS scheme. Farmers are getting an income of Rs 1 lakh on an average from both the kharif and rabi seasons, he said.

Andhra Pradesh Rythu Sangam Vijayawada Rural mandal secretary Guntaka China Venkata Reddy urged the Water Resources Department authorities to link the TRLIS to Gollapudi Lift Irrigation Scheme (GILS) and divert the waste water. He said six more villages Ambapuram, P Nainavaram, Pathapadu, KV Kandrika, Nunna and Mustabad will be benefited with the linking of TRLIS to Gollapudi Lift Irrigation scheme.

By Dasari Srinivasa Rao