A small but judicious investment made 25 years ago has reaped rich rewards for several farmers in this region. Basanna Asangi (72) and several others contributed Rs. 10,000 each for the construction of Chikkapadasalagi barrage a quarter of a century ago. Today, the farmers in the region are reaping the reward of high sugarcane yields.
One of the many farmers who pitched in for the construction the ‘People’s barrage’, Mr. Asangi said, “I feel proud that like hundreds of farmers, I also contributed funds to this project. This barrage has given a new lease of life to numerous sugarcane growers of Jamkhandi taluk.”
It was the former Union Minister Siddu Nyamagouda, who made this a reality. The barrage, built across the Krishna, stands as a symbol of success of the cooperation among farmers. The project did not receive any financial aid from the government, and was entirely farmer-driven.
Mr. Nyamagouda, who was at the function to celebrate the silver jubilee, along with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday, said, “We conceived this project in 1983, owing to persistent drought and inertia of the government. It was hard to convince farmers initially, but gradually they came forward.”
The project was completed in 1989 at a cost of Rs. 94 lakh.
Before the construction of the barrage, the backwater irrigated only 10,000 acres, but after its completion, it began providing water to 70,000 acres of land.
“The cost per acre of land, which was only Rs. 30,000 then, has shot up to Rs. 15 lakh an acre today. Earlier, farmers could reap only 25 tonnes of sugarcane an acre, now they harvest nearly 50 tonnes an acre. The barrage provides water to 26 villages of Jamkhandi and seven villages of Athani taluk,” he said.
Over six lakh people get drinking water from it.
