Date:27/07/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/07/27/stories/2008072751750700.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada

Use water in farm fields judiciously, says Collector

Staff Reporter

Workshop on recharging agricultural wells held

-PHOTO: RAJU .V

Exchanging views: Krishna district Collector Shailaja Ramaiyer and Assistant General Manager of the Indian Bank M. Sambasiva discuss a point at a workshop on ‘Artificial recharge of groundwater through dug wells in Krishna district’ in Vijayawada on Saturday.

VIJAYAWADA: Krishna district Collector Shailaja Ramaiyer on Saturday stressed the need for making careful and optimum use of water in agricultural fields in the backdrop of dwindling water resources all over and growing problems in attending to the needs of irrigation.

Addressing a workshop on ‘Recharging agricultural wells’, the Collector said that only when there was free availability of water for crops, any society would be able to flourish with plenty and happiness.

She pointed out that civilisations witnessed a steady progress in areas that had easy access to water sources.

Ms. Ramaiyer wanted the farmers to make use of programmes introduced by the Central Government for efficient utilisation of underground water resources to solve irrigation problems.

The programmes being implemented through the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and the Government departments were highly beneficial to farmers, she added.

District Water Management Agency Project Director K. Sudhakara Reddy said that the need for borewells came up in the 1970s when ordinary wells could not meet the increasing demand in view of enhanced cultivation and rising population numbers. He said saving of water was of utmost importance with help of methods like drip and micro irrigation.

M. Sambasiva Rao, AGM, Indian Bank, and others spoke.

A training programme on ‘quality of fertilisers’ was organised under the joint auspices of district Agriculture Department and Chennai-based regional fertiliser testing laboratory, where Agriculture Joint Director B. Vaman Goud appealed to dealers to extend their cooperation in helping farmers use proper fertiliser for crops.