Farmers demand immediate water release for KC Canal ayacut

Nandyal : Farmers, cultivating under KC canal ayacut, staged a protest in front of the KC Canal office in Nandyal on Wednesday, demanding immediate release of water to protect their standing Rabi crops. Rayalaseema Sagu Neeti Sadhana Samithi vice-president YN Reddy and Eruva Ramachandra Reddy led the protest.

The protesting farmers expressed anger over the sudden stopping of water release, which they said, will harm nearly 70,000 acres of Rabi crops. They emphasised that water supply is crucial until April 30 to ensure a successful harvest. However, the unexpected stoppage of water flow has put their crops at risk, leading to fears of heavy losses.

Farmers pointed out that this year, both Krishna and Tungabhadra rivers had good inflows for about 120 days, bringing approximately 1,562 TMC of water into Srisailam reservoir. Despite this, why release of water into KC Canal was abruptly stopped, they questioned. They recalled that previous year, even with lower rainfall and minimal inflows into Srisailam, water was supplied until the completion of the Rabi season.

Following the protest, YN Reddy urged the KC Canal Executive Officer over phone, for immediate action to restore water flow. He stressed that the delay could lead to significant crop damage and financial distress for farmers.

In response, the Executive Officer assured that he would bring the issue to the attention of higher authorities and that a decision would be taken soon.

Later, farmers submitted a formal petition to the KC Canal Superintendent, reiterating their demand for uninterrupted water supply until April 30.

Large number of farmers from various mandals under KC Canal ayacut, including leaders Bekkam Chinna Ramakrishna Reddy, DV Subba Reddy, and Chandrasekhar Reddy participated in the protest.