GADAG: Farmers of Mundargi are worried that Shivamogga and the surrounding areas will receive more rainfall. If water is released from Bhadravathi dam to Hammigi barrage near Mundargi, the gates of the barrage will have to be opened, and a large quantity of water will gush out into the farmlands.
Hammigi barrage opened seven gates as 43.366 cusecs of water flowed out on Sunday morning. Farmers are struggling to save their crops due to rain. If the river swells again, they will lose all their crops. Bidaralli, Vithalapur, Singatalur, Gummagola, Shiranahalli, Irannanagudda, Gangapur, Kakkur, Korlahalli and other villages are at the river basins.
The river is swelling and water has been gushing into hundreds of acres in Mundargi taluk for the past two days. The dam has a storage capacity of only 1.8 tmcft of water. The process of shifting four villages is still not implemented due to the local government. Mundargi Tahsildar and other officials visited the villages and inspected them.
The tahsildar also told agriculture officials to give compensation to farmers as per rules. Farmers of these villages said they have been demanding that Bidaralli, Vittalapur and Gummagola villages be shifted. If these villages are shifted, we can store 3.8 tmcft of water in the barrage, and prevent a flood-like situation. The lives of people, livestock and crops can be saved.
Irrigation department officials from Mundargi said, “Inflow into the river is increasing, and seven gates have been opened. They have to open more gates if there is excess water.”