The Hindu : 2,500 cusecs being released from Kabini

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jan 18, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

2,500 cusecs being released from Kabini

By Our Staff Correspondent

MYSORE Jan. 17. Irrigation Department officials began releasing 2,500 cusecs of water a day from the Kabini Reservoir near here late on Thursday night.

The release of water from the reservoir comes in the wake of the Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna's assurance to the Prime Minister, A.B. Vajpayee, on releasing water to Tamil Nadu.

Command Area Development Authority (CADA) officials said the storage in the Kabini Reservoir was about 4.5 tmcft before the release began last midnight. The dead storage level of the reservoir was 3.5 tmcft. "The reservoir will reach its dead storage level if 2,500 cusecs of water is released continuously for five to six days," the officials said, adding that the water would take at least three days to reach Mettur reservoir after the release.

Meanwhile, security was beefed up around the site of the reservoir at Beechanahalli village in H.D. Kote taluk near here. Police officials said there were no agitations against the release of water.

However, irrigation officials here do not anticipate a major agitation by farmers over the release of water from the Kabini this time around. "There are no standing crops to save now unlike the previous time," the officials said.

But, the farmers' leader, Vivek Cariappa, said the Government should have at least deputed the local MLAs to convince the farmers about the reason for the release. "Such measures will help take the farmers, who are stake-holders, into confidence."

Meanwhile, the Mysore District Cauvery Action Committee is scheduled to meet at the Town Hall here on Saturday to discuss the State Government's decision. In a statement, the committee has criticised the Chief Minister for bowing to pressure from the Prime Minister and agreeing to release water to Tamil Nadu. "When there was no formal meeting of the Cauvery River Authority, what was the need for the Chief Minister to agree to release water?" the committee's convenor, Thayoor Vittalmurthy, asked.

The water level in the KRS Reservoir stood at 83.57 ft today against 110.57 ft on the same day last year. The CADA authorities began releasing water to standing crops in Mandya District from January 4 this year. The release of water is scheduled to end on January 22 by when the available water in the reservoir will be exhausted.

The CADA Chairman, M.V. Venkataraju, has already cautioned the farmers in the KRS command area against sowing fresh crops due to non-availability of water. Irrigation Department officials said there were standing crops on approximately 1.5 lakh acres of land in Mandya District and ruled out the feasibility of releasing water from the KRS.

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