Chittoor district has recorded 20% excess rain in 50 mandals and normal rainfall in 15 mandals, while just one mandal received deficit rain in July.
According to irrigation officials, more than 60% of the small village tanks and check-dams were brimming with rainwater following continuous rain in July.
The normal rainfall in July for Chittoor is 6,728 mm, but by July 15, the rainfall was recorded at 12,498.6 mm, bringing the much required relief to the farmers, who are now getting busy with the kharif.
During the last five years, the rainfall in the district remained below normal to deficit in several mandals during the kharif season, and the spectacle underwent sea change this year. The copious rains had led to sudden spike in the acreage.
The agriculture department expected the kharif sowing in about 1.4 lakh hectares, but the figure is likely to cross 2 lakh hectares. “The sowing time will continue till July 31. Seeing congenial conditions for groundnut crop, a number of farmers are rushing to the fields. We have supplied the seeds to the farmers as per their requirement,” said Joint Director (Agriculture) N. Vijay Kumar.
Water storage
Superintending Engineer (Irrigation) Surender Reddy said that with good rains, a number of check-dams and small village tanks had received good inflows.
“Since a week, we have initiated works pertaining to restoration of damages at check-dams. So far, more than 120 such works were completed. In the western mandals, the water is slowly building up in several check dams of the western mandals,” the official said.
The farmers at several villages of Puthalapattu Assembly Constituency were a happy lot with the Bahuda river receiving gushing rain water since a week. As the phenomenon came as a pleasant sight to them after several years, the farmers performed “Jalaharathi” to the river.
Spillway works
Meanwhile, the Satyavedu MLA , Koneti Adimulam on Wednesday launched the spillway works estimated at ₹36 crore at the Araniyar reservoir at Pichatur.
He said that the project which was launched with just ₹1 crore decades ago, now required several crores for modernisation. “As and when we submitted the proposals for the spillway works, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy immediately sanctioned the funds. The works will be completed on a war-footing,” he said.
