MEDAK : The earth cracked, the wells ran dry and the future looked bleak. But in the face of adversity, the farmers of Malkapur and Gundreddipally in Toopran mandal found a strength they didn’t know they had. They pooled their resources, their labour, their very will and carved a 9 km canal, a testament to the power of community and a stark reminder that even the most daunting challenges can be overcome with collective action.
With irrigation water scarce and crops withering, their only hope lay in diverting water from the Kondapochammasagar reservoir through a canal. However, waiting for government procedures — tenders, contracts and execution — would have meant further delays and possible ruin. So, the farmers banded together, determined to carve their own solution. Pooling their resources, the two villages managed to raise `3 lakh. After obtaining the necessary permissions, they hired two JCBs, tractors and other essential machinery.
Once the canal was completed, the waters of Kondapochammasagar began to flow. The newly dug channel directed water first to Turkacheruvu in Malkapur, then to Dantelakunta and finally to Chenigakunta.
“I own two acres of land and had drilled four borewells, but all failed because of a heavy rock layer at 60 feet. It was the same struggle for every farmer here. Water from the reservoir was our only hope. Since waiting for the government to act would have taken too long, we decided to dig the canal ourselves,” shares Ramulu, a farmer from Malkapur.
Each farmer contributed according to their means, and even former MLA T Narsa Reddy stepped in with assistance.
Former sarpanch of Malkapur, Swamy, tells TNIE: “The government had earlier dug a canal up to Viranagar, but the work was left incomplete. While our canal is a temporary fix, we need permanent structures to ensure irrigation and drinking water for our villages. Seeing our success, farmers in neighbouring villages are now eager to follow our lead. Thanks to this effort, about 400 acres of land is now under cultivation, benefiting around 250 farmers.”