Poor rains this monsoon bleed farmers, power utilities

HYDERABAD

El Nino conditions and erratic rainfall have badly affected the agriculture and energy sectors in Telangana this year, with farmers staring at an investment loss due to standing crops being impacted by lack of water for irrigation and problems in power supply. As a result, power utilities are forced to go for spot purchases of energy to the tune of at least 30 to 50 million units every day.

Though the rainfall recorded during the monsoon period, from June 1 to September 30, is ‘normal’ technically with the average deficit of 17% (deficit up to 19% is considered normal by the Met standards), its uneven spread has caused heavy damage to standing crops, and water bodies by not ensuring sufficient inflows, power generation and depletion of groundwater.

Lack of sufficient water in major and medium irrigation projects as also in minor irrigation tanks coupled with poor rainfall have restricted cultivation of crops in the Kharif season to lowest extent since 2022.

Heavy deficit of 38% in rainfall during August led to damage to crops in the crucial stages of growth, hitting hydel generation badly as it was second lowest since 2022. According to the TG-Genco officials, hydel generation this monsoon period has been only 983.17 MU against 3,707.99 MU during the last year’s monsoon or only 26.5% of the last year’s generation.

Of the 21,500 minor irrigation tanks under the irrigation department with a total water holding capacity of 253.8 tmc ft, the present storage is only 94.3 tmc ft and the 87 major, medium and small reservoirs have only 513 tmc ft water against their capacity of 1,059 tmc ft. Uneven spread of rainfall during the season also led to the extent of Kharif crops cultivation to 125.85 lakh acres, the lowest since 2022 with paddy taking the major hit as it has been transplanted in 56.80 lakh acres this season, the first Kharif with less than 60 lakh acres coverage since 2022.

Sources in the power utilities told The Hindu that they have been going for spot purchases of energy from the Indian Energy Exchange (IEX) on two-hourly basis during the peak consumption hours every day and the daily purchases have been at least 30 MU to 50 MU since the consumption has been on the rise with farmers depending more on drawing groundwater to irrigate their crops. Even with such purchases the farming community has been facing hardships with protests going on every day at one place or the other and erratic supply has been leading to withering of crops.