Farmers in the Hiriyadka–Perdoor belt are sore at the district administration’s decision to stop water supply to their fields due to a decline in the water level in the Swarna river at Baje dam and to meet the drinking water needs of Udupi city.
They grow agricultural and horticultural crops on either sides of the river in the upper reaches of Baje reservoir. There were about 70 irrigation pumpsets operating in these upper reaches. The water was pumped to irrigate arecanut trees, coconut trees, banana plantations, to cultivate vegetables and paddy.
Kudi Srinivas Bhat, a farmer, said that the farmers wanted to water from Swarna River provided through their pumpsets twice a week in January and February and once a week from March to May. “But the decision to cut off power supply to all irrigation pumpsets since January 8 because the city required drinking water is a grave injustice to the farmers. Our arecanut and coconut trees will die,” he said.
Silt had accumulated in two metres of the Baje dam in the last eight years. “Removal of silt will increase the water storage capacity of the dam. Instead of solving this problem, the authorities are stopping water supply,” Mr. Bhat said.
Raghu Nayak, farmer from Mattibail, Perdoor, who grows arecanut and coconut on two acres of his field, said that but power supply to his pumpset was cut off. “I have stopped cultivating the second crop of paddy because of the water problem. Now I am struggling to water my arecanuts and coconut palms,” he said.
Srinivas Kulal, another farmer from the same village said that he had six acres of land where he used to cultivate paddy on 3 acres, arecanut on two acres and coconut on one acre of land.
“I have stopped paddy cultivation. If the authorities do not want to give water from the river, at least they should provide borewells to us through Ganga Kalyana scheme. I am not eligible for it because of my large field,” he said. They poured their grievances before Pramod Madhwaraj, Minister of State for Fisheries, Youth Services and Sports. But Mr. Madhwaraj said that the drinking water crisis in Udupi city and surrounding villages was acute during summer months. Hence, water had to be stored.
