Telangana farmers hire water tankers to save paddy crops amid severe rainfall deficit
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Farmers across Telangana are hiring water tankers to irrigate standing paddy crops as a severe rainfall deficit, declining reservoir levels, and irrigation-related power disruptions threaten their harvests.
"Whether we get profit or not, how can we lose the crop that has come to this stage? So we brought a tanker and connected the water pipes," said a farmer to NDTV. He called for reliable electricity and adequate water storage to support farmers.
According to India Meteorological Department data, Telangana received just 3.5 mm of rainfall against the normal 75.6 mm between October 1 and 21, a deficit of 95%. Twelve districts recorded no rainfall during the period. The southwest monsoon ended with a 17% deficit, with the state receiving 615.5 mm against the normal 740.6 mm.
Combined storage in major and medium reservoirs across the Krishna and Godavari basins stood at 503.43 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) on September 30, down from 834.92 TMC on the same date last year, according to irrigation department data.
The state has identified preliminary drought conditions in 315 mandals, including 101 classified as severely affected and 214 as moderately affected. The government has proposed an assistance package of Rs 1,986.89 crore for farmers affected by deficient rainfall and crop losses.
Electricity demand has also risen, reaching a peak of 19,543 MW on September 9, up 23% from 15,906 MW on the corresponding day last year.
The situation has triggered a political dispute, with BRS working president K. T. Rama Rao accusing the Congress government of failing to utilise available river water and operate lift-irrigation projects. He alleged that more than 750 TMC of Godavari water and 250 TMC of Krishna water had flowed downstream since June 1.