BENGALURU: Farmers of the Cauvery basin who were protesting for over a month demanding water have finally got the government’s attention. Bowing to their pressure, the state government has decided to release water from four Cauvery basin reservoirs to fill the irrigation tanks in the region from Thursday.
However, the water is being released only to meet the drinking water needs of people and for cattle in the basin.
Announcing the decision after chairing a meeting of MLAs, MPs and representatives of farmers’ associations here on Wednesday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said water is being released on humanitarian grounds, and made it clear that water cannot be provided for cultivation of paddy.
He appealed to the farmers to cultivate only dryland crops considering the poor storage of water in the four reservoirs — KRS, Kabini, Hemavathi and Harangi. Public awareness campaign would be launched in the villages to refrain farmers from cultivating paddy, he said.
The water being released is meant only for filling the dried-up irrigation tanks and ponds in the Cauvery basin, the Chief Minister said and assured the farmers that water would be released for all crops if the state receives copious rains in the coming days.
Deficient rainfall: Worst in last 46 years, says CM
Explaining the severity of the situation due to deficient rainfall in the region, Siddaramaiah said the present situation is the worst in the last 46 years.
The present cumulative storage in the four reservoirs is 45 tmcft, which is much lower than 53.52 tmcft, on the corresponding day the previous year, which again was a drought year. The current inflow is also lower than last year.
Reminding paddy farmers of the losses they suffered last year, Siddaramaiah appealed to them to sow only dryland and semi-dryland crops, which are mainly rain-fed.
Replying to a question about release of water to Tamil Nadu, he said a minimal quantum is being released as the storage is poor and the situation in Karnataka itself is grim.