Hans News Service Vijayawada

Expressingconcern over the prevailing drought conditions, NTR district collector and Irrigation Advisory Board (IAB) Chairman Dr G Lakshmisha urged farmers to avoid paddy cultivation and opt for alternative crops to minimise the risk of heavy losses during the Kharif-2026 season.

He chaired the 5th IAB meeting at the Collectorate here on Thursday. The collector reviewed water availability, distribution and crop planning for the Krishna Eastern Delta with Water Resources Department officials and representatives of Water Users’ Associations in view of the Super El Niño conditions.

On the occasion, Dr Lakshmisha unveiled the Agriculture Department’s awareness poster, ‘Insure every crop you sow’, to encourage farmers to enrol under PMFBY. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Lakshmisha said the government has accorded top priority to safeguarding drinking water. He cautioned that if farmers begin paddy cultivation without adequate reservoir storage and rainfall remains deficient, they could suffer substantial financial losses. He advised farmers, particularly in suitable areas, to cultivate alternative and dry crops and cooperate with the government’s water management strategy.

He said deficient rainfall due to the Super El Niño has significantly reduced water levels in the Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar reservoirs, while upstream projects, including Almatti, Narayanpur and Jurala, have also received poor inflows. Of the 29 TMC available in Pulichintala Reservoir, only about 25 TMC is utilisable and must be conserved to meet drinking water needs until June 2027 if drought conditions persist.

The collector said water is being supplied to the Krishna Delta through the Pattiseema Lift Irrigation Scheme, but reduced Godavari inflows have restricted operations to 20 of the 24 pumps. The available water will be prioritised to meet the drinking water needs of over 60 lakh people in Eluru, Krishna, NTR, Guntur and Bapatla districts. He directed Agriculture Department officials to ensure that every crop is covered under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and asked them to create awareness among farmers on the benefits of crop insurance.

Water Resources Department Superintending Engineer G Gunakara Rao, Krishna Eastern Division Executive Engineer (EE) B Anjaneya Prasad, Krishna Central Division EE R Ravi Kiran, Special Division EE K Babu, AEEs G Raju, K Srinivasa Rao, B Harish Naidu, Water Users’ Associations members MS Prasad, ARB Venkateswara Rao, K Suneetha, K Srinivasa Rao, and others attended the meeting.