MANDYA: The ongoing high-voltage electoral battle in Mandya between Nikhil Kumaraswamy, son of Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, and Sumalatha Ambareesh, an Independent candidate backed by BJP, has brought cheer for farmers. Water from the Cauvery river is flowing freely in the irrigation canals — not seen in the last five summers — and farmers are now confident of a good second crop of paddy and sugarcane.
Majority of farmers cultivate sugarcane and paddy in Mandya, Srirangapatna and parts of Pandavapura taluk. Not to antagonise them, the irrigation department has released 3,800 cusecs of water from KRS dam. Sources said the officials have been directed by the government to ensure that farmers do not complain about water availability. This is the election season bonanza!
In the previous years, the government had declared crop holidays and announced that the water stored in KRS dam was for drinking water supply to Bengaluru, Mysuru and other towns. However, this summer, there are no protests or laying siege to irrigation department offices.
Thanks to copious rains during the last monsoon season, there was adequate storage of water in Cauvery basin reservoirs which has now been released into Visvesvaraya canal to keep the huge farming community in good humour.
Only in January, the Irrigation Consultative Committee had appealed to farmers in Mandya not to grow paddy and to switch over to semi-dry crops like ragi, maize and pulses instead of water-intensive crops.
THE irrigation department had assured to give water under the on-and-off system for semi-dry crops every fortnight and even distributed pamphlets while agriculture officers were told to advise farmers not to violate the crop pattern.
A department official, pleading anonymity, said they have released water into the irrigation canals under on-and-off system for standing crops. Asked how many more days they would give water to crops, he said it will be stopped from April 8 and a decision will be taken by the higher-ups based on the availability of water. He also clarified that there is enough water to meet the drinking water needs of Bengaluru and Mysuru.
The release of Cauvery water has come as a shot in the arm for JD(S) workers in Mandya Lok Sabha constituency as farmers are getting water for two crops. Made Gowda, a farmer from of Shivahalli, said they are happy that they are able to raise two crops. After irrigating their fields at least two more times, they will be able to harvest paddy by May, he added.
Naganna, another farmer, said he is happy to see lush greens paddy fields that had turned barren during previous years. “Politics and politicking is always there during polls, but livelihood is more important,” he said while thanking the authorities for giving them water to save crops.K V Shankar, a farmer from Shettahalli alleged that water is being released only because elections are around the corner. He said that they should have given it much earlier to help the farming community .
However, Kumar, a JD(S) leader, refuted that the discharge of water has anything to do with politics. He said that it was the decision of the Irrigation Consultative Committee and also based on availability of water. “We are happy that the farmers are happy and are not running around for water or loan waiver during the campaign,” he added.
Not only in Mandya district, irrigation department officials have also released 700 cusecs of water from Kabini reservoir for paddy crops in Nanjangud, Varuna and T Narasipur falling under Chamarajnagar Lok Sabha constituency.Officials said water is being released since a week and assured that it will continue.