The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : No increase in water charges

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Sunday, Jul 05, 2009
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

No increase in water charges

Special Correspondent

‘Poor rainfall made Government stick to old rates’

BANGALORE: Minister for Water Resources Basavaraj Bommai has ruled out an increase in water charges for irrigation despite such a demand from water users’ cooperatives. There had been no revision in charges for nearly a decade.

A meeting of the representatives of all water users’ cooperative societies in the State was held here on Friday to prepare an action plan for such societies to become more effective.

There are 2,257 water users cooperatives in the State and of them 1,604 had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Water Resources. As per the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) they had to maintain the field channels which supply water to the agricultural fields, and collect water user charges from farmers.

Mr. Bommai said that given the poor progress of the south-west monsoon so far, the Government was not interested in increasing the water charges at the present juncture. Such an increase, if any, would be only next year after the onset of the monsoon. At present, the Government nets Rs. 5 crore collected by water users’ cooperatives from farmers although the revenue target was Rs. 30 crore.

The water charges were based on the crops grown, the cropping pattern, and volume of water consumed.

He said the Government would bring forth amendments to the Karnataka Water Users’ Act (it comes under the purview of the Coopertive Act) to make it mandatory for all farmers to be members of the water users’ cooperatives.

At present, only a third of farmers were members. With the passage of the amendments in the next session of the legislature, the Government was confident that the number of water users’ cooperatives in the State would touch the 7,000 mark.

Mr. Bommai said a high-level team of officials of the Department of Water Resources had recently toured the States of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh where water users cooperatives had been doing a commendable job.The Minister said the State had spent a huge amount of money on the construction of dams and reservoirs and the focus now would be on adequate irrigation and a higher realisation of water charges.

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