Rains bring relief to farmers, officials on alert amid flood risks

Metro India News | KARIMNAGAR | PEDDAPALLI| JAGTIAL

Continuous rainfall over the past four days has brought much-needed relief to farmers across the erstwhile district, raising hopes for the ongoing kharif (monsoon) cultivation season. Overflowing streams and rivulets, filling tanks, and increasing inflows into irrigation projects have boosted confidence among farmers, who had been anxiously waiting for rains. With improved water availability, many have now resumed agricultural operations despite the delayed onset of the cultivation season. The normal kharif cultivation area across the combined district is around 1.236 million acres.

However, only about 400,000 acres have been sown so far. Agricultural officials expect cultivation activities to gather pace following the recent rainfall. Meanwhile District Collectors have instructed officials to prevent public movement through areas with strong water currents under any circumstances. They have also directed the installation of warning signboards at vulnerable locations and ordered police and revenue officials to coordinate rescue and precautionary measures. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), after a brief lull on Friday, rainfall is likely to resume over the weekend.

Heavy rains have caused significant damage to roads and public infrastructure in Jagtial district. District Collector B. Satya Prasad on Friday inspected damaged culverts between Narsayyapalli and Kotha Korandlapalli in Dharmapuri mandal, as well as a breached road embankment between Akasayipalli and Nagaram villages. The Collector directed officials to assess the extent of the damage and undertake immediate temporary repairs to restore connectivity and minimize inconvenience to the public. He also inspected the surplus weir of a tank in Buddeshpalli village and reviewed flood inflow conditions with irrigation officials.

Peddapalli District Horticulture and Sericulture Officer Gaddam Shyam Prasad said the prevailing weather conditions are highly favourable for planting oil palm saplings and establishing new plantations. He encouraged farmers to utilize the current conditions and consider oil palm cultivation as an alternative to paddy. He noted that adequate rainfall has ensured sufficient soil moisture, creating ideal conditions for newly planted oil palm saplings to establish healthy root systems.

However, he also cautioned that weather experts have indicated the possibility of dry conditions or rainfall deficits later in the season. In view of this, farmers have been advised to plan their crop choices carefully and adopt cultivation practices suited to changing weather conditions.