Rain ups level of groundwater

river Penganga is flowing high near Anandpur in Jainad

The drinking water shortage till a few days back has subsided with the increased ground water table following the heavy rains for the last few days at various places in the Adilabad district.

youth fishing in a stream near Jainad

Adilabad district has received 199.5 mm rainfall against actual rainfall 256.7 mm in the last one month while the rainfall was high in the last four days. 

As many as 24 mandals have received excessive rainfall while 22 mandals normal and six mandals were facing deficit rainfall out of total 52 mandals in the district.  

The rains brought a sigh of relief to the people as far as drinking water shortage was concerned with the rivulets and streams are flowing high with rainwater. Residents are finding water in their hand bores for the last four days due to heavy rains.

Groundwater levels that had drastically due to severe drought have seen an increase in water levels. Tanks have started receiving rainwater with rains affecting the Mission Kakatiya works at various places.

At most places, tank revival works were abandoned as tanks have started receiving rainwater. However, the new water coming into agriculture well and drinking water and open wells can cause health problems if people drinking it without boiling.

People in tribal areas who depend on open wells, streams and rivulets for drinking are particularly vulnerable.

Seasonal diseases spread easily when the water is exposed to pollutants and open defecation. Unfortunately, the Panchayatraj and RWS departments have failed to take preventive measures to avoid seasonal diseases or control them. 

Adivasis in interior areas rely on streams for water

the Markaloddi gudem in deep forests in Sirpur ( U) mandal 

Streams, even if flowing at low intensity, are proving a died- hard source of water for Adivasis living deep in forests in interior areas in the district’s interior areas.

Ten Andh Adivasi families, with about 60 members in all , who have been living in the Markaloddi in Sirpur (U) mandal since a long time are quenching their thirst in this manner, said Tekam Dashwanth, a resident.

  

This community is somewhat more religious and they maintain isolation from other communities most of the time.   

“Water they fetch from the streams is tasteful as the water flows down from the hills , past may medicinal plants and their roots , thus becoming therapeutic,” he said.

There is no road connectivity, yet they don’t come out of that place as they are attached to it for peace and independence it offers them.

They go to Jainoor mandal headquarters for weekly shandy to buy their essential commodities, pointing out that they had never faced a threat from the forest animals though they move in this deep forest area even at night. 

Markaloddi remains unexplored territory ; going there gives the sense of entering a cave over a long distance and suddenly chancing upon a tiny village in the midst of the hills.

To reach the Markaloddi, one has to climb down hills, walk through hard terrain, take slippery twists and turns and cross rivulets. Visiting this place offers nature lovers, researchers, and journalists a refreshingly different experience.

Farmer suicides: Telangana to promote check dams

State government will promote check dams to increase the ground water table, and help in preventing farmer distress in the Telangana.

The check dams will be constructed on rivulets and streams along with the bridges to improve the ground water table to save standing crops during drought in order to prevent farmer suicides in the Telangana state.

Panchayatraj and Roads and buildings departments have to inform the irrigation department while they were constructing bridges on rivulets and stream and even small rivers so that irrigation department construct check dams at such places.

State government has issued instruction to the Panchayatraj and R&B departments to prepare designs of the bridges on streams and rivulets consulting irrigation officials. 

Reports revealed that some farmers had fallen into debt after digging many borewells but failed to get water for agriculture due drastic fall in the ground water at many places.

The state government is of the opinion that farmers were resorting to suicides due to crop failure and subsequent debts due to crop failures during drought and following the borewells dried up following the drastic fall in ground water table.

Borewells they dug goes dry within no time and this was resulted in low yields even after investing huge amounts in digging borewells.

State government found that water from rivulets and streams flowing downstream without any use and enters into sea at last. At many places, there were no check dams on rivulets and streams especially hilly areas and water flows to down stream.

It is also found that overflowing water from tanks goes downstream without any check and go waste but things become worst during summer when there were no rains or scanty rainfall.      

Minister for irrigation T. Harish Rao said ‘they were going to promote check dams on big scale in the state and construct check dams near Swarna irrigation project in Mudhole in the Adilabad to improve the ground water table for agriculture purposes and said state government will give nine hours uninterrupted power to agriculture from next Kharif’.

State government is making serious efforts to install new electric transformers and set up power sub-station to give uninterrupted power supply to the agriculture in future.

On a Mission, babus forget mandals

Adilabad Parched