Intense drought conditions prevail in Karimnagar

Severe damage to paddy and maize crops

Karimnagar: Intense drought conditions are prevailing in Karimnagar district. With no rains in the month of August, the farmers are currently experiencing the worst drought which they never faced during the last 25 years. The farmers have taken loans for cultivation of crops during the kharif season. But they are facing severe problems due to unfavourable weather conditions and lack of proper power supply.

The farmers have been eagerly waiting for rains since June. But unfortunately, though three months have passed, there have been no rains in the district. The farmers are expressing concern that they would not even recover the money that they have spent on the crops.

Consistent power cuts are compounding the woes of farmers. They are unable to pump water into their fields from the existing resources using motors due to lack of power supply. The farmers had a good year last year due to adequate rainfall. The rains helped in filling of water in the tanks, streams and canals. The farmers utilized the water and derived benefit. They did not rely on power.

The situation is entirely different this year. According to official sources, Karimnagar district received 78.5 millimetres of rainfall in June as against the normal rainfall of 153 mm in June, 165 millimetres in July against the normal rainfall of 285.7 millimetres. The situation turned worse in August with the district receiving only 29.2 millimetres rainfall as against the normal rainfall of 114.4 millimetres. As a result, farmers who began cultivation of paddy and maize during the kharif season suffered severe losses.

With no rains, the farmers at different places in the district did not show much interest in raising crops in June. As a result, the cultivation was taken up only in 61.176 hectares in Karimnagar district in June. As the rainfall was slightly better in July, the area under cultivation has gone up to 1.01 lakh hectares. But due to scarcity of rainfall in August, the crops raised by farmers have dried up causing immense losses to them. Instead of rains, the district is experiencing scorching heat like summer during this August.

Under the prevailing circumstances, the government advised farmers not to look for rains and to go in for alternative crops. However, the farmers who are in a debt trap could not take up cultivation of alternative crops. The unfavourable weather conditions led them into a depression.