Copious rains in the beginning of the Kharif season and availability of water in the irrigation canals have led to heightened agricultural activity in the Krishna Western Delta (KWD) region.
For the third consecutive year, farmers in the KWD region have begun sowing operations in July, with the countryside turning into a lush green paradise in most mandals of Tenali revenue division.
The KWD region is spread across an ayacut of 5.70 lakh acres, which includes 71,000 acres in Prakasam district. The main irrigation canal meeting the needs of farmers in KWD is also called KWD canal, which has a carrying capacity of 8,200 cusecs and extends from Seethanagaram downstream of Prakasam Barrage to Duggirala.
The KWD is one of the biggest delta systems, consisting of several major canals and many minor ones. The major canals are: Bank Canal, which covers an ayacut of 1.55 lakh acres; Kommamuru canal, which covers an ayacut of 2.43 lakh acres; and the High-Level Channel, which covers an ayacut of 26,414 acres.
Three canals flow through Tenali town, which are: Nizampatnam channel, covering an ayacut of 22,214 acres, East Channel, covering an ayacut of 53,992 acres, and Western Channel, covering an ayacut of 27,588 acres.
“Farmers have begun agricultural operations through direct sowing in more than two lakh acres in Krishna Western Delta. In Tenali, Kollipara and Duggirala, direct sowing is being practised,” a senior agricultural officer said.
Presently, the KWD region is getting a discharge of 7,000 cusecs from Prakasam Barrage.
Farmers in KWD are a happy lot due to availability of sufficient water for the third consecutive year. In 2019, 5.78 lakh cusecs of floodwater was discharged from Prakasam Barrage, followed by 7.13 lakh cusecs of floodwater discharge in October 2020. This year, both the Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar reservoirs are filled to the brim due to heavy discharges from reservoirs in Karnataka and Telangana.
This year, excess rainfall of 30% was recorded, according to officials.
The irrigation department usually prepares a Kharif contingency plan at the beginning of the Kharif season. The annual water requirement is 69 TMC and in 2020, 66 TMC was sufficient to meet the requirements of farmers. In 2021, water is being released from Prakasam Barrage from July 1 and the present discharges are around 7,000 cusecs from Prakasam Barrage.
