Farmers in Karimnagar are facing an additional threat to standing paddy crops as agricultural pump sets and transformers burn amid reported low voltage, frequent power interruptions and rising dependence on groundwater. The failures have intensified over the past week, with farmers paying between ₹3,000 and ₹5,000 to repair damaged motors while dealing with water scarcity and inadequate rainfall.
Farmers and mechanics told Deccan Chronicle that unstable electricity supply was damaging pump sets used to draw water from borewells and open wells. The problem has been reported in villages including Cherlabuthkur and Chegurthi, where farmers are relying on available groundwater to protect crops after insufficient inflows into water bodies.
In Cherlabuthkur of Karimnagar rural mandal, several motors and transformers have reportedly become defunct. Farmer D. Kumaraswamy said his pump set and another motor connected to the same transformer had burnt, along with the transformer itself. He said interruptions in electricity supply had affected water delivery to his paddy crop cultivated across 10 acres.
Kumaraswamy also said that repairing the equipment was an added financial burden and that removing pump sets from wells required three to four people. The cost of repairs varies according to the damage. Rewinding a motor can cost about ₹3,000, while damage to clutch plates and other components can raise the bill to around ₹5,000.
Farmer M. Sampath of Chegurthi said the motors were burning because of interruptions in power supply. Although the government had claimed that 12 hours of three-phase electricity was being supplied to the agriculture sector, he said farmers were receiving only six to seven hours in practice. Supply expected at 5am was often beginning at 7am or 8am and ending at 5pm, he said, with several interruptions during the day and no clear information about restoration.
Sampath has planted paddy on eight acres and had his pump set repaired a few days ago. The unreliable timing of supply creates an operational problem for farmers who depend on electric motors to lift water from wells. When power is interrupted or voltage falls, irrigation schedules are disrupted and equipment can remain vulnerable when it is restarted or operated for long periods.
Motor mechanic Ch. Anand of Durshad said he was repairing two or three agricultural motors every day. Farmers from surrounding villages were bringing damaged pump sets to Karimnagar town because of its proximity, he said. Another mechanic, B. Kanthaiah, identified low voltage as the main cause of motor failures. He said the problem could go unnoticed because pump sets were installed in water and the sound of a weakening motor was difficult to hear.
According to electricity department sources, however, overload was the main reason for the failures. With inadequate rainfall, farmers were depending more heavily on groundwater and operating motors continuously to draw water, the sources said. This account differs from the explanation offered by mechanics and farmers, who pointed to voltage fluctuations and interruptions.
The immediate problem is unfolding against a difficult water situation. Deficit rainfall during the monsoon, attributed in the report to El Nino, has reduced inflows into water bodies. Farmers are therefore using borewells and open wells to sustain standing crops, increasing their dependence on the electricity network and on equipment that must operate for longer periods.
For farmers, the breakdowns represent more than a repair expense. A failed motor interrupts access to irrigation at a time when water sources are already limited, while a burnt transformer can affect multiple pump sets connected to the same supply point. The electricity department’s explanation of overload and the field-level accounts of low voltage and interruptions point to a need for the cause of each failure to be established at the affected locations.
The report did not specify a restoration schedule for the damaged transformers or any announced compensation or equipment-replacement measure. Farmers in the affected villages continue to depend on repairs and the resumption of reliable three-phase power to maintain irrigation for their paddy fields.
