In compliance with the decision taken at the Tungabhadra Irrigation Consultative Committee (ICC) meeting chaired by Minister for Infrastructure Development, Haj and Wakf and Ballari district in-charge B.S. Anand Singh and attended by MLAs, MLCs and MPs from Raichur, Koppal and Ballari districts, recently, the authorities of the Water Resources Department, on Sunday, released water into different canals for the first crop of the year.
After puja was performed at the Tungabhadra Reservoir at Munirabad, Koppal district, by people’s representatives and members of Karnataka Development Programme (KDP), water was released into the canals.
In its 115th meeting held at the conference hall of the Tungabhadra Command Area Development Authority (T-CADA) near the Tungabhadra Reservoir in Munirabad, the ICC resolved to release 4,100 cusecs into the Tungabhadra Left Bank Canal (TLBC), 1,130 cusecs into the Tungabhadra Right Bank High-Level Canal and 700 cusecs into the Tungabhadra Right Bank Low-Level Canal from July 18 to November 30. The Rayabasava Canal will get water at a rate of 235 cusecs till December 10 and the Left Bank High-Level Canal 25 cusecs till November 30.
“After B.S. Yediyurappa became the Chief Minister, the State has received good rainfall and farmers in Raichur, Koppal and Ballari are getting enough water from Tungabhadra Reservoir for cultivating two crops in a year. The Yediyurappa government has showed its commitment to the development of the farming community by prioritising irrigation projects,” a member of KDP Amaresh Karadi said after water was officially released into the canals.
Legislators Paranna Munavalli, Raghavendra Hitnal, Basavaraj Dhadesugur, T-CADA chairman Tipperudraiahswamy, Koppal Urban Development Authority chairman Mahantesh Patil Mainalli and others were present.
Speaking to The Hindu , honorary president of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha Chamarasa Malipatil demanded that the district administrations of Raichur and Koppal ensure that the Tungabhadra waters reached the tail-end areas of all canals, especially the TLBC, so that farmers in the lower reaches in Raichur can cultivate crops.
“More than 1.5 lakh acres of unauthorised land in the upper reaches of the TLBC are illegally irrigated by drawing excess water from the canal. Drawing excess water for unauthorised land in the upper reaches will result in a scarcity of water for authorised land in the lower reaches. It is a serious issue and I raised it in the ICC meeting recently. Mr. Anand Singh, who presided over the meeting, clearly directed the district administration take immediate steps to remove all illegal pumpsets connected to the Tungabhadra canals and ensure adequate water supply to farmers in the tail-end areas of the canals. The administrations should immediately start removing all illegal pumpsets so that authorised farmers in Manvi and Sirwar in Raichur district get water for irrigation,” Mr. Malipatil said.
