BRS blames Congress administration for dried-up paddy fields in Wanaparthy

Large tracts of paddy fields have dried up in the Pedda Mandadi mandal of Wanaparthy district due to a lack of water for irrigation, prompting a visit by opposition leaders. Former Minister and Deputy Floor Leader of BRSLP T. Harish Rao, along with a team of party leaders from the combined Mahabubnagar district, examined the damaged crops at Veltur and Alwala villages on Monday.

Farmer Distress

During the visit, affected farmers broke down while showing their ruined crops to the BRS leaders, explaining that the paddy failed at the grain-filling stage because of water shortages. A farmer named Kondaiah stated he grew paddy on three acres, but the crop dried up right before his eyes when it reached the grain-forming stage. Farmers reported similar losses across 250 acres in Alwala village and around 25 lakh acres across the State. A large group of party leaders, including former Ministers S. Niranjan Reddy, V. Srinivas Goud, and C. Laxma Reddy, accompanied Mr. Harish Rao during the field tour.

Government Criticism

Speaking later at a public meeting in Wanaparthy, Mr. Harish Rao blamed the ruling Congress government for the crisis and stated that the same fields grew two full crops a year for eight years under the K. Chandrashekhar Rao administration using the Kalwakurthy lift. Addressing Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy's claim that drought conditions arrived due to poor inflows into major reservoirs, Mr. Harish Rao noted that Srisailam received 221 tmc ft of water and Jurala received 252 tmc ft this year. He asserted that water was available but the government failed to use it in time by filling irrigation tanks and reservoirs, specifically pointing out delays in switching on motors for the Kalwakurthy, Nettempadu, Bhima, and Koilsagar lift schemes. While Kalwakurthy has the capacity to lift 50 tmc ft for five months from June, only 18 tmc ft was actually lifted, and less than 30 tmc ft was lifted from the remaining schemes which could hold up to 70 tmc ft. Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh drew over 75 tmc ft through the Pothireddypadu Head Regulator.

Demands and Context

Mr. Harish Rao demanded that the government lift more available water from Srisailam through Kalwakurthy to save standing crops and meet drinking needs, release water from Jurala for another 15 days, and announce crop loss compensation for 25 lakh acres.

Context

Crop failures of this scale during dry spells highlight the critical dependence of agricultural regions on timely canal water releases and lift irrigation management. State governments frequently face political friction over water distribution schedules and reservoir management during deficit rainfall periods.