Protecting Current Crops: Khammam District Collector Diwakara T.S. directed officials to assess crop conditions and groundwater levels to ensure planned water supply reaches tail-end ayacut farmers for the ongoing monsoon season.
Coordination & Security: Revenue and police officers will be deployed at canal regulator points along with regular patrolling to maintain smooth water distribution and safeguard both irrigation and drinking water reserves until summer.
Yasangi Crop Advisory: Farmers are urged to avoid water-intensive paddy during the upcoming Yasangi season and instead prioritize pulses and irrigated dry (aruthadi) crops to prevent severe water and power shortages.
Khammam: District Collector Diwakara T.S. instructed officials to provide planned irrigation wettings by efficiently using the available water resources to save the crops cultivated in the monsoon (Varshakalam) season. On Monday, along with Additional Collector P. Srinivasa Reddy at the Collectorate, he reviewed the situation with district officials from the Agriculture, Irrigation, Electricity, Horticulture, and Mission Bhagiratha departments. Speaking on this occasion, Collector Diwakara T.S. suggested conducting a comprehensive ground-level assessment in every mandal of the district regarding the current condition of crops, crops on the verge of drying up, irrigation water requirements, and available water resources. He ordered the preparation of clear proposals, mandal-wise, on how many wettings of water are needed for the crops. He stated that in areas where Godavari waters are not available, officials should examine the scope of providing water through other projects, water availability in major tanks, and the status of groundwater levels.
Regarding water availability at the Sitarama Project, the Collector called the concerned Chief Engineer over the phone and inquired about the water availability for the next 15 to 20 days. He ordered that measures be taken to ensure irrigation water reaches up to the tail-end ayacut and that wettings be provided as required for the crops. He advised officials to act in coordination to ensure adequate water reserves remain for drinking water needs alongside meeting irrigation water requirements. To ensure smooth release of irrigation water, he stated that a revenue officer and a police officer should be deployed at every regulator point to oversee the operations. He added that staff should conduct patrolling in every section under the canals to ensure seamless water flow.
He directed the concerned departments to work in coordination without any disruptions in water distribution, ensuring adequate water reaches even the tail-end ayacut farmers. The Collector asked officials to examine the possibilities of providing two wettings of water to crops under the main canals of Kusumanchi and Nelakondapalli mandals, as well as other canals, from the Palair Reservoir. He suggested that Irrigation officials conduct a comprehensive study on the required water quantity, available water resources, and the feasibility of irrigation water supply. He also noted that possibilities of filling the Palair Reservoir by utilizing available water from Nagarjuna Sagar should be examined. He ordered officials to formulate an advance plan to ensure sufficient water storage for drinking water needs until the upcoming summer, in addition to supplying irrigation water to crops.
Farmers should refrain from cultivating paddy in Yasangi
The Collector suggested that in view of the status of projects and groundwater levels in the upcoming Yasangi season, farmers should make decisions regarding crop selection in advance. He requested them not to cultivate crops that require high water inputs, such as paddy, and to prioritize pulses and irrigated dry (aruthadi) crops instead. He instructed officials to explain the realistic situation to farmers in advance, as there could be pressure on agricultural power supply alongside irrigation water availability and groundwater conditions during Yasangi. He suggested creating widespread awareness so that farmers do not suffer losses by cultivating high-water-consuming crops without estimating water availability. Irrigation CE Vasanthi, SE M. Venkateswarlu, Electricity Department SE Srinivasa Chari, District Agriculture Officer D. Pullaiah, District Horticulture Officer M.V. Madhusudhan, Mission Bhagiratha EE Vanisri, and others participated in this meeting.
Anand Gantela is a senior journalist with 30 years of experience across print, TV, and digital media. Currently serving as the Editor of Ink Post, his career spans key reporting and editorial roles at Prajasakti, Andhra Bhoomi, Maa TV, Mudra and Prime Post. He writes on regional news, current affairs, and socio-political developments.
