Nizamsagar Water Boosts Paddy Sowing on 7.5 Lakh Acres Across Nizamabad Ayacut
Substantial water storage in the decades-old Nizamsagar project has boosted paddy cultivation across 98 per cent of its ayacut in Nizamabad and Kamareddy districts, covering Banswada, Bodhan, Nizamabad, Kamareddy, and Armoor areas. As of Friday, water levels in the reservoir stood at 1,400.32 feet against the full reservoir level of 1,405 feet, protecting local farmers from adverse El Niño conditions reported across other parts of Telangana.
The reservoir currently holds 11.701 thousand million cubic feet (tmc) of water against its gross storage capacity of 17.802 tmc, while several local irrigation tanks across the district also retain substantial storage. The assured water supply encouraged cultivators to raise paddy across 7.50 lakh acres in the Nizamsagar command area.
Nizamsagar project assistant executive engineer Saketh said that around 2,000 cusecs of water was being released into the main canal from the project to support local farming operations. The canal release is directly assisting paddy cultivators across the ayacut during the crop cycle.
With crops maturing early, some farmers in the ayacut have already commenced harvesting operations. Traders from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra have arrived in the ayacut areas to purchase freshly harvested paddy directly at the field level, offering farmers Rs 3,000 per quintal.
K. Nagaraju, a farmer from Jakora village in Varni mandal, said the state government was offering Rs 2,961 per quintal for Grade A paddy, which includes a Rs 500 bonus. Agriculture department officials stated that they anticipate approximately 15 lakh quintals of paddy arrivals in the undivided Nizamabad district, adding that Grade A paddy prices could soon reach Rs 3,500 per quintal.
The situation in Nizamabad and Kamareddy contrasts with much of Telangana, where deficient rainfall and El Niño effects have restricted farming. Only 16 of the state's 33 districts received normal rainfall this season, causing total paddy cultivation in Telangana to drop from 67.30 lakh acres during the last Kharif season to 55.89 lakh acres this season.
