Some farmers tried to stall work at the Kalasa Banduri Nala site at Kanakumbi near Belagavi on Monday, alleging that irrigation department officials were diverting water from the Malaprabha River basin into the irrigation canals in violation of rules. They did not succeed, as officials convinced them that their fears were unfounded.
A group of farmers led by Kalasa Banduri Horata Samiti president Vijay Kulkarni went to Kanakumbi and argued with engineers working at the site that is within walking distance of the mountain spring through which the Malaprabha originates. They alleged that they were trying to divert the inflow from rivulets away from the spring and into the Kalasa Banduri nala canal. “Our demand is to divert Mahadayi waters into Malaprabha waters. But officials are doing the exact opposite,” Mr. Kulkarni said.
Officials, however, refuted the allegations. Mallikarjun Gunge, managing director of Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigama, said inflow into the river was not being diverted and added that they were only channeling water away from the work site to avoid ponding.
“We are not allowed to divert water from one basin to another till the Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal gives its final judgment,” he told The Hindu .
He clarified that the rivulets were flowing into Kalasa Banduri nala, a tributary of the Mahadayi. “Our worksite is 800 meters away from the spot where the river Malaprabha originates. The two basins are distinct. There is no question of us damaging the river or diverting water at its source,” he said.
