Karimnagar, May 17: Rivers fulfilling drinking water and irrigation requirements have dried up in Karimnagar district, thanks to the soaring mercury levels.
The Irukulla river situated 12 km from the district headquarters on the way to Ramagundam, has also dried up completely barring just a trickle.
The river had 15 per cent water last summer. Then the farmers of Irukulla, Mogdumpur and Durshed villages dug wells in the middle of the river bed and cultivated crops. But this year, the river has dried up.
Indiscriminate sand quarrying is believed to be a major reason for the drying up of the river.
Meanwhile, farmers of Shabadupalli and Pottur are also facing problems in irrigating their crops as the groundwater-level in the villages has fallen to 14 metres from 11 metres last year.
The drop in the groundwater-level is due to drilling of wells deep into the earth but even the wells have not saved the farmers.
Paddy farmers in Sircilla, Husnabad, Vemulawada and Manakondur mandals are the worst hit with crops drying up. Cultivation of paddy has also come down in the above mandals.
During last rbi, various crops were cultivated in nearly 3.8 lakhs hectares in the district of which paddy was cultivated in 1.9 lakhs hectares.
But this year, only 1.7 lakh hectares have been cultivated of which 65,000 hectares comprised paddy.
Agriculture officials said it is appearing like a calamity for Rabi as crops in nearly 50,000 acres have already dried up.
–Agencies