When the average water availability in arable land in Andhra Pradesh is 30.27% of the 215 lakh acres, it is just 8.87% in the Rayalaseema Region, according to figures available with the State Irrigation Department for the past 10 years. A comparative study reveals how successive governments neglected the region by not investing enough in developing irrigation.
A comparative study done by the Rayalaseema Saaguneeti Samithi shows that when the entire State is divided into five regions as per the irrigation facilities, the North Andhra Region, comprising Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam districts, has 27.4 lakh acres of arable land. Out of this, 14.85 lakh acres have some kind of irrigation facility (a major, minor or medium project), amounting to 54.2% of the land. The region, however, has been getting water only for 8.28 lakh acres over the past 10 years, which accounts for 30.22% of the arable land.
In contrast, the Rayalaseema Region, comprising the undivided Kurnool, Kadapa, Anantapur and Chittoor districts, has 90 lakh acres of arable land but irrigation facilities have been developed only for 19.27 lakh acres (21.41%). Of this, however, irrigation water reached only 7.98 lakh acres, accounting for 8.87% of the arable land.
Samithi president Bojja Dasaratharami Reddy told The Hindu that there was clear step-motherly treatment towards the region in investing/execution of irrigation projects, which was leading to such a disparity. “Even when these projects are executed, the distributary canal systems are not maintained in proper shape and new ones that are part of the projects like HNSS, HLC have not been completed, leading to water not reaching the intended areas and going back to Penna River after it is lifted from Srisailam and brough through HNSS to Anantapur/Kurnool.”
In East and West Godavari, the arable land is 31.70 lakh acres and irrigation facility is developed in 20.02 lakh acres (63.15%) but water reached only 16.37 lakh acres in the last 10 years, recording 51.64% of arable land. In Central Andhra (Krishna and Guntur), the arable land is 31.50 lakh acres and 23.81 lakh acres has irrigation facilities (75.59%), but water reached only 21.12 lakh acres (67.05%) in the last 10 years.
Southern Andhra Pradesh, comprising Nellore and Prakasam districts, have 34.40 lakh acres of arable land, but irrigation facilities are available only in 16.92 lakh acres (49.18%) and out of that, water reached only 11.33 lakh acres during the last 10 years (32.94%).
This historical injustice has not been corrected by the successive governments. Also, none of the people’s representatives raised these issues to ensure water is available in at least the State average of 30% of arable land, which clearly shows that the injustice meted out to the region is not being taken seriously by any political party.
