Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 150
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 151
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Bad monsoon killing Telangana farmers, crops and water supply

Bad monsoon killing Telangana farmers, crops and water supply

Share this article Share this article
published Published on Aug 6, 2015   modified Modified on Aug 6, 2015
-The Times of India

HYDERABAD: The lack of monsoon rains is spelling doom for Telangana on three fronts: First, a drastic drop in paddy cultivation is set to trigger a massive shortage in rice production; second, with their crops more or less destroyed and the prospect of rains in the near future bleak, farmers are resorting to suicides; and thirdly, plummeting water levels at Nagarjunsagar Dam is threatening to disrupt the drinking water supply to Greater Hyderabad.

With a deficit rainfall of minus 21 per cent so far in this monsoon, Telangana is staring at a massive shortfall in rice production. As against the 33 lakh tonnes of rice that Telangana produces during the kharif season, the output this time is expected to be not more than three lakh tonnes (or 10 per cent of the normal production). As against the normal sown area of 41.43 lakh hectares, farmers took up cultivation only in 29.64 lakh hectares.

"With the failure of the kharif crop now and the rabi crop earlier, Telangana will be forced to import rice to make up for the 90 per cent shortfall," S Malla Reddy, general secretary of the CPM-affiliated Rythu Sangam told TOI.

A dry monsoon has already hit the farmers hard. The failure of the kharif crop has led to several farmers in Telangana committing suicide. In the month of July alone, as many as 12 farmers killed themselves in just five districts of the state while in the first five days of August, the state has already reported three suicides by farmers.

Meanwhile, at the Nagarjunsagar Dam, the water level on Wednesday stood at 510 feet as against the full tank level of 590 feet. Hyderabad water board officials said if the water level falls by another feet, emergency pumps would have to be installed to draw the water. That could adversely affect the drinking water supply to Hyderabad and its surrounding areas.

For the water level at Nagarjunsagar Dam to rise, there should be massive inflows into the catchment areas of the Krishna river in Karnataka so that the water flows downstream into Almatti Dam, then Srisailam Dam before reaching Nagarjunsagar. It will take another month for the water level at Nagarjunsagar Dam to fall by one feet. If there are no inflows by then, Hyderabad could be staring at a drinking water crisis, the officials said.

Over 70 per cent of the water supply to the city as also parts of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation peripheral circles is sourced from Nagarjunsagar backwater.


The Times of India, 6 August, 2015, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Bad-monsoon-killing-Telangana-farmers-crops-and-water-supply/articleshow/48367921.cms


Related Articles

 

Write Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Video Archives

Archives

share on Facebook
Twitter
RSS
Feedback
Read Later

Contact Form

Please enter security code
      Close