Now Reading: Telangana revives district irrigation advisory boards
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Telangana revives district irrigation advisory boards
The Telangana government has decided to revive District Irrigation Advisory Boards to assess water availability in reservoirs and canals and advise farmers on which crops to cultivate. The announcement was made on…
The Story in Brief
The Telangana government has decided to revive District Irrigation Advisory Boards to assess water availability in reservoirs and canals and advise farmers on which crops to cultivate. The announcement was made on Friday by Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy during a virtual meeting with district collectors, senior officials, and ministers Tummala Nageswara Rao and Jupally Krishna Rao.
The boards will meet before and during each crop season. Reddy cautioned farmers against water-intensive crops like paddy in the current Kharif season due to low reservoir levels and El Nino conditions that may affect rainfall. He warned that while recent rains offer some relief, the second wetting of paddy could become uncertain. Collectors were told to publicise water storage positions and ensure drinking water is reserved.
The Indian Opinion
The revival of district irrigation panels is sensible, but the real challenge is implementation. Some may accuse the government of scaring farmers away from paddy, while others will say the warning came too late. Neither captures the full picture: the advisory is backed by measured reservoir data and a clear El Nino forecast. The test will be whether the boards actually meet before farmers make their final sowing decisions in the coming weeks.
Sources (2): thehindu.com, timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
