BHAWANIPATNA: as the threat of an El Nino-induced rainfall deficit looms large and water level in Indravati reservoir below last year’s mark, farmers in the command area of Odisha’s largest irrigation project have a growing unease about the prospects of the ongoing kharif season.
The Indravati reservoir has a full reservoir level of 642 metre and a dead storage level of 625 metre. As on date, the live storage level stands at 628.52 m, about 15.31 per cent of capacity and lower than the 628.65 m recorded during the corresponding period last year.
Since the closure of rabi irrigation on May 17, hydel power generation has been an average of 250 MW to meet power demand, with the discharged water flowing into the Hati river in the Tel basin and eventually into the Mahanadi system.
On May 17, the reservoir level stood at 631 m or 31.03 pc of capacity. Power generation over the last six weeks has since brought it down to 628.52 m. The falling storage level has raised concerns among farmers dependent on the project, which irrigates around 1.18 lakh hectare across the region.
Activist and farmer Sesadeva Behera warned that any significant monsoon deficit arising out of El Nino conditions could severely affect cultivation in the ayacut area.
“There is an urgent need for prudent water governance by the Indravati project authorities and the Water Resources Department so that the interests of farmers are not sacrificed for power generation,” he said.
Farmer leader and progressive farmer Dipti Praharaj said that since irrigation is the primary objective of the project, authorities must adopt a cautious approach in view of forecasts indicating the possibility of below-normal rainfall.
General manager of the Hydro Power Corporation at Mukhiguda, Akhaya Kumar Sahu, said electricity generation is regulated by the State Load Despatch Centre based on demand and generation schedules are followed accordingly.
However, the apprehension extends beyond the Indravati command area. Farmers dependent on the Ret and Utei medium irrigation projects, besides several minor irrigation systems in Kalahandi district, are also worried about the impact of a possible rainfall deficit.
What has added to the growing worries is the lack of preparedness by district agriculture department for the kharif season. Farmers and agricultural stakeholders point out that the the department has neither finalised a district-level kharif strategy nor initiated contingency planning to tackle a deficient monsoon. No effort has yet been made to identify alternative cropping patterns, advise farmers on water-efficient crops or prepare mitigation measures in case rainfall falls short of expectations.
The district kharif strategy meeting is yet to be held even as the sowing season has already begun and farmers continue to wait for adequate rainfall to start cultivation in all seriousness.