Govt Urges Farmers to Use Groundwater Sparingly

Hyderabad:After saying that just around seven lakh acres of agricultural land – of the 30-lakh odd acres that are under various projects — can be provided with irrigation water this Kharif crop season, the state government has now turned its focus on the groundwater reserves which, according to it, do not present a satisfactory picture.

On Friday, the government directed officials of various departments, including those from agriculture and panchayat raj, to educate farmers on careful and judicious use of groundwater for the rest of the crop season. With the requirement for water expected to increase in September and October, the two months when the monsoon is expected to fail even more than what it already has this year so far, farmers must be discouraged from using automatic starter motors for their borewell pumps and extract more water than what is required.

The officials were also directed by the government to prepare daily groundwater availability status reports that could be shared with farmers. The recent rain has not really contributed to the groundwater reserves, and even water levels in reservoirs are not very encouraging, the officials were told. Agriculture minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, speaking at an interdepartmental meeting on preparedness to face El Nino conditions, also told officials to focus on restoration of the 44,000 tanks and lakes in the state, which can help recharge groundwater tables.

Source: www.deccanchronicle.com