Water Crisis: Karnataka Govt Appeals Farmers to Avoid Canal Irrigation Amid 20% Rainfall Deficit
The district administration has appealed to farmers not to use canal water for irrigation and to use water judiciously, as the region faces a significant rainfall deficit and lower reservoir levels.
According to Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Roshan, seven of the 15 taluks in the district have received normal rainfall, but the remaining eight have received scanty rains. Overall, the district has a 20 per cent rainfall deficit. Compared to last year, the water storage in the Hidkal and Navilutirtha reservoirs is lower this year.
The government has instructed that available water be reserved for drinking purposes until next summer. “Some people are demanding to release water into canals for feeding crops. However, for now, we have planned to use the water for drinking purposes only. We will try to release water for agriculture if more water flows into the reservoirs in the coming days,” Mr. Roshan told reporters on Friday.
Meanwhile, reduced rainfall in parts of Maharashtra and Belagavi district has led to a slight reduction in the discharge from the neighbouring state. On Friday, the discharge from Maharashtra stood at 89,442 cusecs, around 208 cusecs less than the previous day.
The Almatti dam recorded an inflow of approximately 84,611 cusecs and an outflow of 67,500 cusecs. Live storage was around 89.3 tmcft against the full capacity of 123 tmcft. The inflow into the Hipparagi Barrage was about 69,700 cusecs, with an outflow of 69,050 cusecs.
