Agricultural fields in Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts are facing hurdles in irrigation due to a poor distributory network of canals from the Thotapalli barrage and a lack of proper feeder channels for tanks.
While the Thotapalli irrigation project, built across the Nagavali, began functioning from 2015, a robust distributory network could not be put in place to ensure that water reaches the fields through canals.
An inordinate delay in land acquisition is being blamed for the improper distributory network in both districts. Farmers who have to part with their land for the canal network have reportedly sought compensation of ₹25 lakh per acre. The State government, meanwhile, is reportedly reluctant to pay such large sums of money for acquiring the land.
