Irrigation water is not reaching many divisions of Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts, farmers disappointed
Irrigation water is not reaching many divisions of Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts, farmers disappointed
Agricultural areas in Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts are facing bottlenecks in irrigation due to poor distribution network of canals from Thotapalli barrage and lack of proper feeder channels for tanks.
While the Thotapalli Irrigation Project at Nagavali started functioning from 2015, a strong distributor network could not be put in place to ensure that water reaches the fields through canals.
The inordinate delay in land acquisition is being attributed to improper distribution network in both the districts. The farmers who have had to give up their land for the canal network have reportedly demanded a compensation of ₹25 lakh per acre. Meanwhile, the state government is reportedly reluctant to pay such a huge amount for land acquisition.
Farmers say that 1.24 lakh acres of agricultural land in Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts can be irrigated if water from the Thotapally project is harnessed by building a well-connected network of canals.
Farmers from ten mandals in Vizianagaram and seven mandals in Srikakulam district will be benefited if the canal network is built. He says that the absence of feeder channels has also become another obstacle for the smooth flow of water from one canal to another.
Gadde Babu Rao, former Chepurpalle MLA and president of the BJP Uttarandhra Abhivardhi Samiti, alleged that the government was neglecting irrigation systems in Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts, though many mandals are in rain-fed areas.
“There will be enough water in the ponds only if the feeder channels are made properly. The natural flow of water in those ponds will be ensured only if there are channels. The government should look into this issue before the kharif season,” said Mr. Babu Rao Hindu,
When contacted, Vizianagaram Collector A. Suryakumari said that she has directed the officials concerned to ensure proper feeder channels for all the 5,800 tanks in the district. She said that she would visit the major ponds to ascertain the ground level situation.