MYSURU: The Irrigation Department has stopped the release of water from the KRS and Kabini reservoirs for irrigation in their catchment areas and instead diverted the same to Tamil Nadu. Enraged by this, farmers in the catchment areas of both the reservoirs said that the decision is against their interests.
Officials have released 5,356 cusecs of water into the river as the KRS reservoir recorded an inflow of 5,270 cusecs. The reservoir now has 35.235 tmcft of water as against 46 tmcft recorded during the corresponding period last year.
The decision to release water has been taken when the monsoon is weak in the state, especially in Kodagu, and in the Wayanad region of Kerala, the catchment areas of the two reservoirs. Because of the poor inflow, the reservoirs in the state’s Cauvery basin are yet to be filled. This is the reason for the delay in Karnataka releasing Tamil Nadu’s share of Cauvery water.
Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu government has written to the Prime Minister’s Office to intervene and ensure that it gets its share of Cauvery water. Agriculture Minister N Chaluvarayaswamy said that a meeting of the Irrigation Consultative Committee will be held on Wednesday to take a decision on releasing water for the standing crops in the state’s Cauvery basin region.
Release water to canals immediately: Kuruburu
However, officials are silent on the farmers’ demand to release water for irrigation. Strongly opposing the state government’s decision, Karnataka State Sugarcane Growers’ Association president Kuruburu Shanthakumar said water is being released to Tamil Nadu ignoring the demands of farmers.
“The government has failed to protect the interests of farmers who are now unable to take up sowing due to scanty rainfall. Water should be released into canals for irrigation immediately,” Shanthakumar said. Claiming that excess water has flowed to Tamil Nadu, which is more than the quantum fixed by the apex court in the past three years, he said that construction of a balancing reservoir at Mekedatu would have helped Karnataka in storing surplus water, which could have been used at the time of distress.
Shankthakumar said farmers will lay siege to the deputy commissioner’s office and Bannari Sugars’ sub-division office in Mysuru district on August 14 demanding that they be paid dues for sugarcane supplied last year. “We gave a memorandum to district in-charge minister HC Mahadevappa in this regard some time ago. But nothing has been done so far,”
Shankthakumar said. Shanthakumar said the government should release compensation under the crop insurance scheme for distressed cotton growers. He also demanded that the government take steps to ensure 12 hours of uninterrupted power supply to irrigation pump sets during the day.