Jagtial District Villagers Lifting Canal Water To Fill Ponds Ahead Of Summer

Water bodies, including tanks, ponds and rivulets, have dried up in rural areas due to El Nino-attributed rainfall deficit. The situation is expected to worsen during the summer.

Nukapalli villagers have thus decided to store water in two tanks at Komatikunta and Ramulorikunta, both located near the FFC. Besides meeting the local water needs, the tanks would also recharge the groundwater.

Farmers from Nukapalli and neighbouring habitations have already installed pipes to pump water from the Flood Flow Canal to their agricultural fields using motors. They have now fitted gate valves and arranged pipes to pump water into the Komatikunta and Ramulorikunta tanks.

Four 10 HP motors are being used to lift water to Komatikunta, about 1 km from the FFC, while nine 7 HP motors have been installed to fill Ramulorikunta, about 2 km away. The process of lifting water has been going on for the past 17 days.

Most farmers in the area are cultivating paddy on around 300 acres, relying on water available in borewells and agricultural wells.

R. Gangadhar, a farmer who owns four acres near Komatikunta, said he is cultivating paddy using water from an agricultural well. He observed that his well would have sufficient water if Komatikunta is filled.

Another villager K. Nampalli said all wells and borewells near the Komatikunta and Ramulorikunta tanks will have adequate water if both these tanks are filled, as they are located at a higher elevation.

Sarpanch Chevulamaddi Srinivas, who initiated the effort to pump water from the Flood Flow Canal, said villagers had faced severe water shortages during a drought in the state 20 years ago. At that time, even drinking water had been scarce.

To avoid such a situation from recurring, Srinivas disclosed that he held consultations with villagers and farmers before arranging pipes and pumps to divert the FFC water into the tanks.