BERHAMPUR: The spectre of drought looms large over Ganjam which is reeling under deficit rainfall this year.
Agriculture officials said the situation will worsen if the district does not receive adequate rainfall within a week.
This year, the district administration set a target to cover 4.05 lakh hectare (ha) of land under cultivation including 1.79 ha for paddy. But due to less rain, hardly 21 per cent paddy transplantation work has been completed in the district so far. In June and July, Ganjam received 256.67 mm rainfall against the normal of 368 mm.
Apart from scanty rain, lack of irrigation facilities have become a headache for farmers of the district. Official sources said water storage in the reservoirs of the district is low while Rushikulya river is almost dry. The water level in Badananadi, Bahuda and Loharakhandi rivers is also low. As a result, no water could be released into the canals.
According to official records, Bhanjanagar reservoir has 35.28 per cent water of its total capacity of 96 metre. Similarly, Soroda reservoir has 26.21 per cent water, Daha (29.24 per cent), Baghua (18.17 per cent), Dhanei (64.47 per cent), Ghodahada (19.07 per cent) and Baghalati (22.92 per cent).
Simanchal Nahak of Rushikulya Rayat Mahasabha alleged that the canals are dry in most of the places of the district due to low water storage in reservoirs.
The district has three irrigation divisions - Berhampur, Chikiti and Bhanjanagar. While Berhampur division has Rushikulya, Jayamangal, Hiradharbati and Dhanei to irrigate 60,136 ha of land, Chikiti has Bahuda, Ghodahada and Baghalati reservoirs to irrigate 19,815 ha. Bhanjanagar division has Rushikulya, Daha and Baghua to irrigate 33,544 ha.
Additional chief engineer of Irrigation department P Satpathy said water level in all the reservoirs of the district has reduced due to lack of adequate rain. However, he assured that water will be released to the canals soon as the IMD has predicted heavy rainfall in the district.