Widespread rain in State, tanks full

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, OCT. 6. Andhra Pradesh has received beneficial rain towards the end of the South-west monsoon in the past 10 days, making streams overflow in traditional drought areas in Rayalaseema and filling tanks and reservoirs elsewhere in the State.

There was widespread rain today in the State in the wake of a low pressure area that is located 120 km south east of Nellore, which may intensify into a depression.

At some places, the rainfall was even heavy. Gudur recorded a heavy rainfall of 12 cm and Tirupati and Penukonda each 11 cm. Arogyavaram, Bapatla, Nandyal, Punganur, Venktagirikota reported each 8 cm; Kavali, Machilipatnam, Hindupur, Kadiri, Tadipatri each 7 cm; Chittoor, Sullurpet each 6 cm each; Kurnool, Nellore, Jurala Project, Koilakuntla, Srisailam, Pakala, Palamaneru, Proddatur, Pulivendula, Sattenapalli and Tenali each 5 cm and; Hyderabad Airport, Allagadda and Guntur each 4 cm. A large number of places received 2 cm rain

Farmers only wish the rain had come 15 days earlier, but even now, there is time for a short duration crop as the State Government has announced that it is releasing water into irrigation canals from October 20 to March 15, and from November 20 to April 15.

Such heavy rain towards the end of the monsoon season is unusual, and farmers are happy that they have a chance to take an alternative crop in the next three months before they get ready for the rabi season. Following fresh inflows into Nagarjunasagar reservoir due to the rain, the Government announced release of water for the delta, but the Minister for Irrigation, Mr. Mandava Venkateswara Rao, appealed to farmers to take up only short duration crops in order to save available water.

Water from Nagarjunasagar Left Canal would be let out from October 20 to March 15 next for an ayacut of 2,68,000 acres lying in the Zone II-A (from Block 16 to 21/4). For the Zone III, from Block 21/5 till the tail-end covering 3.11 lakh acres, water is to be released from November 20 to April 15.

Under the Right Bank Canal, the release would be made from October 20 to March 15 to the 11th Addanki branch canal to cover 2.43 lakh acres. Water is to be released from November 20 to April 15 for the rest of the ayacut of 3.67 lakh acres.

This will be in addition to 42 lakh acres under delta systems, which were given water earlier. The lands to benefit from November 20 release are in Khammam, Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam, Nalgonda, Kurnool, Cuddapah, Nellore, Chittoor, Mahbubnagar districts.

Nine TMC of water would be released to Velugodu Project from Srisailam from December 15 to the end of January.

Mr. Venkateswara Rao said Sriramsagar Project was overflowing and there was scope for taking up rabi also in its ayacut. The release would be made on a date to be announced later depending on the Irrigation Development Board of the command area which was meeting on October 14. For increase of the discharges from the sources, the respective Irrigation Development Board for Kurnool area would meet on October 8 and that dealing with Nagarjunasagar on October 15 and November 1 to decide the quantum of release.

Regarding the leftout ayacut under medium irrigation projects, he expressed helplessness on the plea that they did not gain much out of the monsoon. Out of 8 lakh acres under them, only 2.24 lakh acres could be sown. If the situation improved later, both kharif and rabi would be taken up in the leftout area.

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Section  : Southern States
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