Tail-end farmers face water crisis as KK stares at drought

Kalaburagi: The perennial problem of tail-end farmers in many parts of Kalyana Karnataka region has resurfaced due to deficit rainfall. These farmers are struggling to protect their crops despite several weeks having passed since water was discharged into irrigation canals from the reservoirs built across the Krishna and Tungabhadra rivers. They have taken to the streets because the water has not reached their farmlands.Meanwhile, Irrigation Department officials face a tough challenge ensuring water for farmers due to the poor condition of canals and a lack of adequate maintenance funds.Water has been released for 90 days from the Tungabhadra reservoir to grow paddy and other crops, even though the dam’s storage has not reached its full capacity of 105.78 tmc ft. Though this move has brought relief to head-end farmers, protests, dharnas and road blockades have erupted in the tail-end areas of the region because water has not reached them even three weeks after release from the dam.Tungabhadra reservoir: No definitive answers, but expectations still run high Farmers already raised paddy nurseries in June wherever a water source was available. However, the seedlings reached more than 60 days of age, making them unsuitable for transplanting due to the non-availability of canal water. This prompted farmers to observe a bandh in Sirwar of Raichur district.Farmer leader Shankargouda Haravi accused officials of failing to manage the distribution of dam water.“We are completely dependent on the Tungabhadra dam water for agricultural activities. Farmers are facing an economic crisis and crops are drying up because water has not reached tail-end areas in the left bank canal in Sirwar and Manvi taluks. Therefore, elected representatives should exert pressure on the officials in this regard,” urged Shankargouda Haravi.Accumulation of siltThe government has been spending crores of rupees to repair the irrigation canals. Accumulation of silt in sub-canals and distribution canals, which fall under the purview of Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigam Limited (KBJNL), is another obstruction to ensuring water supply to tail-end farmers. Thorny plants and weeds on both sides of the canals interrupt the easy flow of water released from the reservoirs. Therefore, farmers urge officials to clear silt and weeds from the canals in addition to undertaking repair work.Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Limited (KNNL) Munirabad Chief Engineer Manoj Kumar said that tail-end farmers are facing water scarcity for irrigation and adequate police force has been deployed at distribution gates to monitor its usage by the upstream farmers.Farmers lay siege to Cauvery Neeravari Nigam office“We are holding meetings with the deputy commissioners of the Tungabhadra command area in Raichur, Koppal, Ballari and Vijayanagar districts to ensure water reaches the tail-end areas. We are also frequently visiting the irrigation canals for this purpose. The problem has cropped up this time due to rainfall deficit following the El Nino effect unlike previous occasions. We have been undertaking canal repair and there is no scarcity of funds for this purpose,” he asserted.Afzalpur taluk Prantha Raitha Sangh president Srimanth Biradar said that the tail-end farmers are deprived of water despite the Sonna Bhima Lift Irrigation Project being completed 20 years ago at the cost of Rs 916 crore to utilise 3.16 tmc ft water.Upper Krishna ProjectFarmer leaders contended that the tail-end farmers are deprived of water due to the inordinate delay in implementing the Upper Krishna Project (UKP)-III which allows raising the height of the Almatti dam from 519.6 metres to 524.256 metres to store additional water. The project has been progressing at a snail’s pace despite more than 15 years passing since the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal permitted Karnataka to raise the dam height.A total of 1.33 lakh acres of land will have to be acquired and 20 villages that will be submerged must be relocated under the project. The project cost has been revised from Rs 17,000 crore to Rs 87,818 crore. Implementing the project will solve the problems faced by tail-enders due to various reasons, including head-end farmers violating guidelines by growing paddy, sugarcane and other water-intensive crops every year against the norms laid down by the ICC.“The government has made no progress in the third phase of the Upper Krishna Project. Increasing the Almatti dam height is essential as silt accumulation is reducing its storage capacity.The government should create awareness among farmers about the proper usage of water by adhering to ICC norms regarding cropping patterns. It is also not maintaining transparency in releasing water to the neighboring Telangana state,” said Command Area Development Authority former chairman and farmer leader Basavaraj Kumbar.Manoj Kumar, Munirabad Chief Engineer KNNL We are holding meetings with the deputy commissioners of the Tungabhadra command area in Raichur Koppal Ballari and Vijayanagar districts to ensure water reaches the tail-end areas. We are also frequently visiting the irrigation canals for this purpose. The problem has cropped up this time due to rainfall deficit following the El Nino effect unlike previous occasions. We have been undertaking canal repair and there is no scarcity of funds for this purpose.Shankargouda Haravi, Farmer leader We are completely dependent on the Tungabhadra dam water for agricultural activities. Farmers are facing an economic crisis and crops are drying up because water has not reached tail-end areas in the left bank canal in Sirwar and Manvi taluks. Therefore elected representatives should exert pressure on the officials in this regard.

Source: Deccan Herald