E-Paper
Telangana logs delay in sowing of kharif crops due to deficit rain
At a time when most parts of north India are ravaged by heavy rains and floods, Telangana has witnessed a rainfall deficit of 65% this season so far, causing a delay in the sowing of Kharif crops in the state this year
Hyderabad
At a time when most parts of north India are ravaged by heavy rains and floods, Telangana has witnessed a rainfall deficit of 65% this season so far, causing a delay in the sowing of Kharif crops in the state this year.
According to a bulletin from the Telangana State Development and Planning Society (TSDPS) on Tuesday, the cumulative rainfall in the state, starting from June 1, when the monsoon season is considered to have commenced, till July 11 is 150.4 mm, as against the normal rainfall of 197.5 mm, with a deviation of -24%.
During this period last year, the state had witnessed heavy rainfall – recording 395.6 mm. “Compared to the previous year, Telangana has witnessed a rainfall deficit of 65%,” the bulletin said.
As per the meteorological department predictions, the south west monsoon was supposed to have set in on June 10 this year. “But it got delayed by 14 days and actual rains commenced only on June 24,” the bulletin said.
Even after June 24, the rainfall has not been consistent, but scattered in different parts of the state. Except Vikarabad, Sangareddy, Siddipet and Narayanpet which recorded slightly above normal rainfall so far, all the remaining 29 districts received deficit rainfall – ranging from 5% (in Jangaon district) to 51% (in Khammam district).
Out of 612 mandals (revenue blocks) in Telangana, only 58 mandals received excess rainfall, while 178 mandals received marginally normal to normal rainfall. However, the TSDPS predicted that the rainfall situation in the state would improve in the coming days, by the time south-west monsoon season ends by September 30.
“The overall seasonal rainfall is most likely to be normal over north and central districts and below normal over Mahabubnagar, Narayanpet, Jogulamba Gadwal, Nagarkurnool, Wanaparthy districts of the state,” it said.
The deficit rainfall in the first 40 days of the monsoon hampered the agriculture operations in the state during the Kharif season. A senior official of the agriculture department, requesting anonymity, said due to below normal rainfall in many areas, sowings are going on at a snail’s place.
“Out of 124.28 lakh acres in which cultivation has been planned this season, sowing was done only in 31 lakh acres, accounting for one-fourth of the cultivable area,” he said.
According to the weekly report of the agriculture department on Kharif operations released on July 5, paddy, which accounts for nearly 50% of the total cropping area, has been raised only 1.30 lakh acres, as against normal of 49.86 lakh acres. “Thus, sowing was done only in 2.8% of the total area to be covered by paddy,” the report said.
“In fact, farmers have started raising nurseries under all medium and major irrigation projects, particularly in northern Telangana. But the transplantation of nurseries cannot be done unless there is sufficient rainfall, filling the reservoirs. We are hopeful that the rains will pick up now onwards, so that release of water could be planned to take up the plantation of seedlings,” the official said.
What is alarming this season is that the water level in two major reservoirs – Srisailam and Nagarjunsagar on Krishna river has hit the rock-bottom with no release of water from upstream in Maharashtra and Karnataka. “Last year, this time, these reservoirs were receiving copious inflow of water due to heavy rains and the irrigation department had to lift the dam gates to let out excess water downstream,” the official said.
However, farmers are going in for sowing of cotton, soyabean, maize and red-gram, which have covered more than 50% of their cropping area, the official added.
