Adilabad farmers water issues to end

Adilabad: Irrigation facilities in the backward Adilabad district are poised to grow in a very short span of time and the credit goes to TRS-led government’s unwavering determination to construct irrigation projects to give a fillip to the farming sector which had been reeling under crisis for many decades.

Adilabad district registers highest average annual rainfall of over 900 mm, and, ironically, it also records the largest number of suicides by farmers there. This phenomenon has been a cause of worry for agriculture scientists.

It can be attributed to lack of irrigation facilities although the region is endowed with natural resources such as rivers and streams. Farmers of the district were deprived of adequate irrigation facilities for a long time.

They had been demanding for a barrage across Lower Penganga or Penganga river at Chanaka village in Jainath since 1970s. But their dream did not materialise till 2014. It was TRS-led government which initiated consultations with Maharashtra in 2015.

As a consequence, the neighbouring State allowed Telangana to take up the project, bringing cheer to the agrarian community.

A total of 50,000 acres of agriculture land in Adilabad and Boath Assembly Constituencies would be irrigated with the completion of the major inter-State project for which works started in 2016 at a cost of Rs 1,227 crore.

Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao has been constantly reviewing the progress of works and has left no stone unturned to complete works in time.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao on Tuesday inspected the works and instructed authorities concerned and executing agencies to supply water to 10,000 acres by June. A sum of Rs 252 crore was already sanctioned for stabilising ayacut under this project, which is touted to be lifeline of Adilabad district.

Also, Rao promised to grant Rs 870 crore for building Kupti project in Neradigonda mandal, with a storage capacity of 5.7 tmc to supplement ayacut under present Kadem project, Rs 315 crore for the proposed Pippalkoti project in Bheempur mandal with a storage capacity of 1.4 tmc and Rs 210 crore for constructing a reservoir with a storage capacity of 0.7 tmc.

Already, Rs 500 crore had been spent for renovating minor irrigation tanks of Adilabad district. As a result, 20,000 acres of agriculture fields are getting water for irrigation. The existing 41-year-old Sathnala project in Adilabad mandal was rejuvenated by spending Rs 28 crore, providing water to 24,000 acres.

The government recently gave a nod to construct 18 new tanks across the district for improving irrigation facilities of this region.