Archive · 13 Aug 2026
Second Paddy Crop at Critical Stage Prompts Nellore Irrigation Push
Farmers in Nellore district in India grow rice, which is also called paddy.
They have planted the second rice crop of the year.
This crop is now at a very important stage where the rice grains are starting to form.
The plants need enough water at this time, or the grains will not grow well.
Leaders and officials met to talk about how to share the water from a big reservoir called Somasila.
The minister said the next 30 days are the most important for the crop.
The plan is to water about 322,000 acres of farmland.
Special teams will check the canals so water reaches all the fields, even the faraway ones.
One canal, called the Kavali canal, has a broken part that needs fixing.
Everyone agreed they must not waste water, because dry weather linked to El Nino could make the situation harder.
Nellore's second paddy crop has entered the crucial grain-formation stage, with officials calling the next 30 days critical.
The district aims to irrigate 3.22 lakh acres of the second crop using water from the Somasila project.
Endowments minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy directed officials to ensure tail-end fields get water without wastage, with supply targeted by September 30.
Special teams comprising irrigation, revenue, agriculture, horticulture and police personnel, along with local MLAs, will monitor canals and field channels.
Officials must fix a siphon damaged at the 12-km point of the Kavali canal, while MLAs warned of El Nino-related water stress.
- Who
- Nellore district administration, led by Collector Himanshu Shukla and Endowments minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy, along with local MLAs and irrigation officials.
- What
- Officials stepped up water management for the second paddy crop as it entered the critical grain-formation stage, including forming special monitoring teams and fixing canal damage.
- When
- The Irrigation Advisory Board meeting was held on Wednesday; the next 30 days are considered critical, with water supply targeted by September 30.
- Where
- Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh, covering the Somasila and Kandaleru reservoirs, the Kavali canal, and delta and non-delta areas.
- Why
- To ensure the grain-forming paddy crop receives enough water, including tail-end fields, without wastage amid concerns of El Nino-related water stress.
- District
- Nellore
- Crop
- Second paddy crop
- Crop stage
- Grain formation (critical)
- Irrigation target
- 3.22 lakh acres
- Water source
- Somasila project
- Reservoirs reviewed
- Somasila and Kandaleru
- Water supply deadline
- September 30
- Infrastructure issue
- Damaged siphon at 12-km point of Kavali canal