BENGALURU: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Sunday said 2.75 tmcft of
water will be released from Almatti and Narayanpura reservoirs to save the chilli crop in the Upper Krishna basin.
“Water will be released immediately and will reach the basin in two or three days,” Shivakumar, also the water resources minister, told reporters. He held a meeting of district in-charge ministers of Kalaburagi, Raichur, Bagalkot and Yadgiri, MLAs of all parties and farmer leaders late on Saturday evening. If the chilli crop is destroyed, the estimated loss will be around Rs 2,000 crore, he said.
“To protect our farmers, last night we decided to release 2.75 tmcft of water for the last time. Protesting farmers and legislators should ensure that the water is used only for chilli crops,” he said. Almatti and Narayanpur dams together have stored 47 tmcft of water. While 37 tmcft is needed for drinking water purposes, and 3 tmcft for other purposes, 1.5 tmcft is lost during outflow, he said.
Asked how he will monitor the use of water, he said, “The police cannot be deployed to monitor water usage. I have given this responsibility to the people’s representatives and farmer organisations. You have to be the police and make good use of this water. We have also instructed our officials, but they cannot fight with farmers. The media should also create awareness about the responsibilities of farmers,” Shivakumar said.
River linking: 31 MPs to visit karnataka
On the river-linking proposal, Shivakumar said a team of 31 parliamentarians will visit the state to inspect the Cauvery catchment area. “River linking is a large central government project and we should not deviate from the issue we are facing now. Our irrigation problems will also be discussed with the team,” he said. Sources said the team is likely to visit the state in a couple of days and hold deliberations with water resources department officials.