Use rain guns to save crops in Anantapur: Chief Minister to officials

With dry spell prevailing in as many as 18 mandals of the drought-hit Anantapur district, the State government has decided to make use of rain guns for irrigating fields to protect standing crops.
Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu | File Photo
Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu | File Photo

VIJAYAWADA: With dry spell prevailing in as many as 18 mandals of the drought-hit Anantapur district, the State government has decided to make use of rain guns for irrigating fields to protect standing crops.
According to the officials, there is an urgent need of water for irrigating the standing crops in 20,000 acres in the district.

After being informed about the same during a meeting over the progress of irrigation projects at the IGC in Velagapudi on Monday, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu directed the State-level and district officials to take up required drought-proof measures to save the crops from withering by providing irrigation water at the earliest.

With ISRO officials telling in the meeting about their prediction about possibilities of bleak rainfall in Rayalaseema region for the coming two to three weeks, the Chief Minister directed the officials of agriculture and water resources departments to coordinate and make use of rain guns and mobile lift irrigation in the coming days for protecting the standing crops. Taking serious note of the prevailing dry spell conditions, Water Resources Minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao is going to visit Anantapur district on Wednesday. The Chief Minister while going through the virtual inspection of Polavaram went through the progress of works. Officials have informed that 3.22 lakh cubic metres of earth has been excavated and 15,629 cubic metres of concrete has been laid for the spillway and stilling basin during the last week.

The proposal to construct a diaphragm wall, which was approved during the review meeting last week, has made some progress too. The completed length of the diaphragm is 551.6 metres and the balance length to be completed during this season is 115.4 metres. 

Italian firm Studio de Miranda Associati presented a design for a multi-span cable stayed bridge which will be completed in one year. The bridge is required to overpass the Spill Channel with minimum impact and flood control.  Naidu suggested that the viewing decks should be spaces for restaurants or a more interesting interactive experience so that it attracts tourists. He asked the firm to flesh out more details of the design, and make the features more unique. Giving an example of reflecting the qualities of River Godavari, he said that by the first week of August, they must come up with more creative ideas to make the bridge iconic. 

Dry spell
Dry spell prevails in 18 mandals of drought-hit Anantapur district
Standing crops in an area of 20,000 acres in urgent need of 
irrigation water
Officials of ISRO predicts there are no possibilities 
for rains in Rayalaseema for two to three weeks
The Chief Minister directs the officials to make use of rain guns and mobile lift irrigation for protecting the standing crops
Water Resources Minister D Umamaheswara Rao to visit Anantapur on Wednesday to take stock of the situation

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