At the meeting of the Irrigation Consultative Committee (ICC) of Bhadra Command Area Development Authority (CADA) held here on Monday, it was decided that water from the Tunga reservoir would be released for 50 days for the standing crops, including arecanut, coconut, banana and sugarcane, in the command area during summer.
Bhadra CADA chairman H.S. Sundaresh said the water level in Tunga reservoir is now 3.23 tmc ft, of which 0.89 tmc ft is the dead storage level and 0.69 tmc ft water should be reserved for drinking purpose. The remaining 1.65 tmc ft of water would be released along the right and left bank canals to irrigate the standing crops. Given the low storage level, farmers have been requested not to take up fresh cultivation during summer, he said.
The water will be released on an on-and-off basis. According to the schedule, it will be released from January 10 to 20, February 10 to 20, March 10 to 20, April 10 to 20, and May 10 to 20. The water will be released at a rate of 300 cusecs a day, he said.
Mr. Sundaresh directed officials of the Upper Tunga Project to remove silt from the canals prior to the release of water. Thirthahalli MLA Kimmane Ratnakar and Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha general secretary H.R. Basavarajappa were among those present at the meeting.