No luck for the past five consecutive years as the rain

It's a hot afternoon on Monday and a group of small farmers from Manubolupadu village in Dagadarthi mandal in Nellore district wonder as to what the fate has in store for them.

A stone platform under a tree in the village streets has become their daily meeting point of late as the prolonged drought condition has been taking a heavy toll on their crops for the last five years.

E. Masthan, who has a small piece of land, stares at the sky. “Every year, I have been hoping for a good rain. But no luck for the past five consecutive years as the rain played truant every time, dashing my hopes. I think it’s I searched for jobs elsewhere,” laments Mr. Masthan as his friends from the nearby villages of Rangasamudram, Ithampadu, Marellapadu and Lingalapadu nod in silence.Such is the gravity of the situation in the villages of Dagadarthi mandal, cultivation has come to grinding halt and many farmers, along with their family members, migrated to distant places in search of jobs for their survival.From Manubolupadu alone, Mr. Masthan says, some 15 families have already left the village in search of green pastures in the last three years.The farmers recall that the drought situation that lasted for half a decade already has never been in their experience.

No canal water supply

These villages are heavily dependent on rains as they do not have canal water supply, despite being located within the 10 to 15 km range of the canal in the Penna Delta such as Chennuru.“We have been waiting for long for the canal water supply. The works are going on and this is the last hope for many of the villages. But the fact is the farmers are not in a condition to suffer another bad year,” says Mr. Masthan.Pydi Seshaiah, another farmer from Rangasamudram, points to the fair weather road that passes through in their villages. “Look at the condition of the road. But this can wait but our survival is doubtful unless we do not get an immediate relief from the drought situation,” he says.

Govt. apathy

The farmers allege poor support or no compensation from the government saying that five villages in Dagadarthi mandal, despite enduring the drought for years, are yet to be included in list of drought-hit areas.“The nearby 15 villages here have good canal irrigation facility from Sangam and Kaligiri reservoirs. So, the authorities are probably thinking that all is well here,” says Mr. Seshaiah, adding that the situation is deteriorating with each passing year.“There is no cultivation. Farmers and agricultural workers are not able to perform marriages of their children for lack of means and wherewithal,” he adds.

Some of the villagers are going to work in the nearby towns and Nellore city daily. A labourer makes ?300 to ?500 per day, a major part of it he has to spend on transport, say the farmers.