Andhra Pradesh asks farmers to skip paddy
The Andhra Pradesh government has advised farmers in the Krishna delta not to cultivate paddy during the kharif season due to an unprecedented water shortage. Engineer-in-Chief (Irrigation) K. Narasimha Murthy cited delayed and inadequate rainfall under the influence of a Super El Niño-like weather pattern as the reason for the shortage.
Water storage in the Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar reservoirs on the Krishna has fallen to critically low levels, with the monsoon rains failing to arrive on time. Upstream reservoirs, including Almatti, Narayanpur, and Jurala, still have around 50 TMC of vacant storage.
In the prevailing conditions, any inflows reaching Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar would have to be given top priority for drinking water. K. Narasimha Murthy said that available water is being given first to drinking water needs, and that flows in the Krishna and the Godavari are abnormally low this year.
The Pulichintala reservoir holds around 29 TMC of water, but only about 25 TMC is usable. If the uncertainty in rainfall continues, this water may also have to be conserved to meet drinking water needs until June 2027.
To meet the drinking water needs of the Krishna delta, the government is diverting Godavari water through the Polavaram Right Main Canal using the Pattiseema Lift Irrigation Scheme. However, inflows into the Godavari have also declined sharply, limiting the operation of the Pattiseema pumping system.
Only 15 pumps at Pattiseema are working, releasing around 1,000 cusecs into the Polavaram Right Main Canal. K. Narasimha Murthy expressed concern that some farmers along the Polavaram Right Main Canal were drawing water through unauthorised pumps, reducing the quantity reaching the Krishna delta canal system.
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This unauthorised drawing of water is affecting the canal flows needed for drinking water supply. K. Narasimha Murthy cautioned that even if farmers used Pattiseema water now for raising paddy nurseries, they could face severe losses if Godavari inflows declined further and pumping was suspended in the coming weeks.
K. Narasimha Murthy advised farmers in the Krishna delta to opt for less water-intensive dry crops wherever feasible until the water situation improves. He asked them not to take up paddy cultivation in the present circumstances, warning that without adequate reservoir storage, and if rainfall remained deficient, farmers risked losing their entire investment.
Farmers have been told that if Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar received sufficient inflows beyond drinking water requirements, the Agriculture and Water Resources Departments would jointly prepare a scientific plan for kharif cultivation. For now, the focus is on conserving water for drinking purposes, and farmers are being advised to make alternative cropping plans.
It is likely that the situation will be closely monitored.
The water shortage in the Krishna delta is a pressing concern, and the government’s advisory to farmers is aimed at mitigating potential losses. Further decisions will be made based on the availability of water in the coming weeks.
