Thirunagari Venkateshwara Swamy Karminagar

Afterweeks of uncertainty caused by a prolonged dry spell, widespread rainfall over the past three days has brought much-needed relief to farmers across the united Karimnagar district. The showers have accelerated paddy transplantation and other kharif operations while replenishing reservoirs, tanks and streams across the region. Farmers have resumed cultivation of paddy, cotton, maize and horticultural crops after delayed monsoon rains had slowed agricultural activity during June.

Against the kharif cultivation target of 9.51 lakh acres of paddy, 2.02 lakh acres of cotton, 50,000 acres of maize and 1.72 lakh acres of horticultural crops, only a small area had been cultivated due to poor rainfall. Farmer Koppula Satyanarayana from Kishtampet village in Peddapalli district said the recent rains had restored hope after the prolonged impact of El Niño conditions and encouraged farmers to restart field operations.

The rainfall has improved storage in the Lower Manair, Mid Manair, Upper Manair and Shanigaram reservoirs, while water from the Sri Ram Sagar Project has started reaching the united Karimnagar district through the Kakatiya and Flood Flow canals. Meanwhile, heavy rainfall has disrupted coal production in Ramagundam due to waterlogging in open-cast mines.

Authorities remain on alert as the IMD has forecast more rain, while Karimnagar District Collector Chitra Mishra declared a holiday for schools on July 31 as a precautionary measure.