Farmers jubilant as water is released to command areas

At a time when Kalaburagi district is reeling under one of the worst-ever droughts after the 1972, the impounded water in three major and medium irrigation projects in the district has brought smiles on the faces of farmers with the authorities releasing water to the command areas.

For the first time in the long history of Bennethora, Gandorinala and Lower Mullamari Projects, water has been released from the dam to the maximum length of the canal and distributary networks.

The water has been released to 7 km of the three distributaries and five Direct Pipe Outlets (DPOs) in Gandorinala Medium Irrigation Projects, water has been released up to 65 km of the Left Bank Canal including 30 distributaries and 42 DPOs, together providing water to 5,330 hectares.

Rabi sowing

Superintending Engineer of the Gulbarga Irrigation Zone Jaganath Halangi told The Hindu here on Monday that water continued to flow in the canals as there was more demand from farmers to take up the sowing of rabi crops. The release of water since January in the project had helped the farmers in the command area to cultivate red gram, black gram and cotton as kharif crops.

Mr. Halangi said that while the release of water for Bennethora Major Irrigation Project has been stopped due to the lack of demand from farmers, water continued to flow in the Right Bank Canal up to 57 km providing water to a command area of 9,800-plus hectares. The water from the project was being released since July 16 and this would be continued for the rabi cultivation period also.

Lack of demand

Although the demand from the farmers for water in Gandorinala Project was overwhelming, the demand from the command area farmers of the Bennethora Project had remained lukewarm. In the Lower Mullamari Medium Irrigation Project, the water has been released up to 29 km covering a command area of 1,138 hectares. Since there was no demand from the farmers, the release of water stopped a fortnight ago.

To a question, Mr. Halangi said there was enough water in the dams of all the three projects.