Since mid-May this year, farmers in Annamayya district, one of the dry zones of Rayalaseema, have been looking up at the sky with little hope. The southwest monsoon, which officially ends on September 30, has largely failed the district. Yet, three days of rain, though not heavy, have brought an unexpected sight: water flowing into tanks that were bone-dry as recently as September 20.
The district should have received 353 mm of rainfall by mid-September. It has received only 149 mm, a deficit of 57.7%. Groundwater levels have fallen, borewells have gone dry, and most tanks and check-dams had presented a deserted look.
The explanation for the sudden inflows lies in work carried out over the past few months, beginning in March, to clear feeder channels, desilt supply canals and revive old stream linkages under the Jaladhara water conservation programme.
“When it rained this week, the water did not just flow away. It found the right path,” an Irrigation Department official said.
In Somala mandal, rainwater flowed through the newly cleared channels into Mallepalle tank near Nanjampeta and Venkatappa Cheruvu near Peddaupparapalle. In Piler, Amma Cheruvu and Thopukunta received fresh inflows. In Kalikiri, Bonthalavani Cheruvu at Gadi village, Chinnapareddikunta and Peddacheruvu are filling up. Even the small Allikunta at Nadimicherla in Kalakada mandal received water.
Similar developments have been reported in Rachavetivaripalle, where the feeder channel to Therakani Cheruvu was restored, and in Nimmanapalle, where a channel linking Yatala Vanka to Ashwarthamma Cheruvu has started carrying water.
District Collector Nishant Kumar said the developments were precisely what the Jaladhara programme was intended to achieve — capture every drop of rainwater and divert it to the nearest water body.
“If this spell continues for another week, it will be a game-changer. Not only will storage improve, but groundwater will also recharge. It will ease drinking water stress in villages,” he said, congratulating officials involved in the water conservation works carried out over more than 150 days.
“For a district battling a 57% rainfall deficit, it is not the quantum of rain alone but how you harvest it that matters. In Annamayya, that lesson is finally showing results on the ground,” Mr. Nishant Kumar said.
Published – September 23, 2026 06:52 pm IST
