Dams in State left with only 13 tmcft of water for drinking purposes: Minister

Underlining the need for conserving water, Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs and Minor Irrigation T.B. Jayachandra has said that only around 13 tmcft of water was available in all reservoirs in the State for drinking purposes.

Speaking after offering ‘Bagina’ to the Krishna river at Chikkapadasalagi barrage on Thursday, the Minister said that the State was facing acute drought and the government has already declared 160 taluks are drought-affected.

“We are also aware of inter-State water sharing disputes which is the result of shortage of water. In such a situation, farmers should use water judiciously. Excess usage would not only lead to shortage of water but also adversely affect soil fertility,” he said. He cautioned farmers against reckless use of water.

Claiming that the Congress government was emphasising more on water conservation, he said that the government has earmarked ₹1,500 crore for constructing of bunds and check dams.

On the occasion, he appreciated the works of Siddu Nyamagouda, MLA for Jamkhandi, who is the inspiration behind the construction of the barrage with the contributions made by farmers without any government aid.

“The project is one of its kind the country where a huge barrage has been constructed by the farmers and for the farmers to address water scarcity,” he said.

Earlier, in his address, Mr. Nyamagouda said that farmers, who were paying ₹60 lakh incurred on the annual maintenance of the barrage, have decided not to use water from Saturday evening till Monday morning every week to save water and electricity. He said that by not using water for about 36 hours each week, water could be saved for an additional 30 days. The MLA said that the barrage constructed at a cost of ₹90 lakh over 25 years ago, irrigates 35,000 acres of land in 27 villages.

Hospital proposed

Siddu Nyamagouda has proposed to construct a hi-tech hospital by using the contributions made by farmers.

Speaking after offering ‘Bagina’ at Chikkapadasalagi barrage on Thursday, he said that his Jamkhandi Sugar Factory would contribute ₹1 crore and the remaining amount would be collected from farmers. “The hospital would be first of its kind which would be by the farmers and for the farmers,” he said.