ANANTAPUR: For the first time after many decades, every part of Rayalaseema has adequate water for immersion of Ganesh idols. There existed a tradition of leaving the idols in dry irrigation tanks under rain-deficit conditions, marking an expression of protest to the rain god.
The protest to rain god was a common feature in several rain-deficit areas of the region, particularly Anantapur and Kadapa areas. As the region is located in rain shadow zone and is rain-deficit, many tanks used to remain dry during the Ganesh idol immersion time.
The shadow zone is located at the edge of the graph for the South West Monsoon rains. The slogan from the farming community to suspend cultivation if the final Uttara Karthe Rains did not offer showers at the peak stage for farming, as also drinking water that ‘Uttara Chusi Ettara Gampa’.
But, the situation turned quite the opposite this year as thousands of tanks, ponds and wells were filled with water even before the Ganesh festival. The Pennar, Chitravati and subsidiary rivers were flowing heavily because of incessant rains both locally and in upstream parts of Karnataka.
Further, more than a hundred irrigation tanks were filled with Krishna water through the Handri Neeva Sujala Shravanthi project and additional rainfall was recharging the ground water sources. Most of the big tanks in Anantapur, Satya Sai, YSR and Annammaya districts were overflowing due to the previous storage of water from HNSS.
The devotees put the idols in dried tanks in Kothacheruvu, Gorantla and Agali areas and observed they could immerse idols with satisfaction and devotion. The Agali tank got filled for the first time in three decades even though it has a source from the Swarnamukhi river.
…
