The Irrigation Consultative Committee of the Bennethora Project ratified the decision taken by the Irrigation Department to release water for the command area continuously from the Bennethora Major Irrigation Project and Gandori Nala Irrigation Project on Saturday for rabi crops. Water from the Lower Mullamari Project will be released by November 15.
Minister for Medical Education and Kalaburagi in-charge Sharanprakash Patil, who chaired the ICC meeting at the Bennethora Dam in Herur (K) village in Chittapur taluk in Kalaburagi district on Wednesday, directed the officials concerned to ensure that sufficient water reached the tail-end areas of both the left and the right bank canals.
Chief Engineer of the Kalaburagi Irrigation Zone Jaganath Halangi told the meeting that there would be no problem in maintaining prescribed water gauges in the first 34 km stretch of the 82-km right bank canal and the first 30 km stretch of the 62-km left bank canal.
Seepage and leakage in the main canal and distributaries hampered the flow of water till the tail-end in both the canals. “The total requirement of water for rabi season is 1.26 tmcft; we will release 0.014 tmcft of water per day for the next three months to irrigate 9,474 hectares of land,” Mr. Halangi added.
Replying to farmers complaint about breach that had developed in some stretches of the canal bund, Dr. Patil directed the officials to repair it immediately to avoid damage to agriculture fields and also to check wastage of water.
Dr. Patil directed the authorities to strictly follow the decision of the Irrigation Consultative Committee to regulate the release of water in distributaries to ensure that farmers did not draw excess water to take up sugarcane cultivation.
Dr. Patil advised farmers to form water users associations and maintain records of farmers drawing water for irrigation purpose.
Minister of State for IT & BT and Tourism Priyank Kharge said that Rs. 177 crore had been sanctioned for modernisation of the canal network, including laying of concrete lining.
Officials said that around 1.14 tmcft of water would be released from Gandori Nala Irrigation Project in the next four months to irrigate 7,943 hectres of land in 28 villages of Kalaburagi, Chittapur and Chincholi taluks in district. The gross storage capacity is 1.884 tmcft.
The left bank canal extends up to 86.32 km where as the right bank canal stretches up to 7 km.
