Farmers staged a protest rally in Ghataprabha town, located in Belagavi district, demanding the release of water from the Hidkal dam into the irrigation canals.
For a duration of over an hour, the farmers resorted to blocking the Gokak-Ghataprabha-Hukkeri State Highway, emphasizing their demand for the release of water into the Left Bank canal by irrigation authorities. Their objective was to ensure a sufficient water supply for downstream villages and towns.
Expressing their concerns, the protestors emphasized the impact of delayed rainfall, leading to a critical water shortage in Belagavi and Bagalkot districts. They asserted that releasing water at present would not only assist farmers in Raibag and other taluks within Belagavi but also benefit those in Jamkhandi, Mudhol, and Mahalingpur within Bagalkot district.
Highlighting the dire consequences of water scarcity, the protestors emphasized the distressing situation where livestock were perishing due to the lack of water, causing suffering to the local population. They further stated that widespread areas were unable to commence agricultural activities due to the unavailability of water for sowing. The solidarity of the protest grew as farmers from Bagalkot district also joined in. The demonstration came to an end after irrigation, revenue, and police officials assured the protestors that their grievances would be effectively conveyed to the State government.
Despite substantial rainfall in the southern region of Maharashtra and northern Karnataka, the condition of most dams remains alarming with exceptionally low water levels. A prime example is the Raja Lakhamagouda reservoir located on the Ghataprabha River in Hidkal, which currently holds a mere 3.81 tmcft of water, significantly below its full reservoir capacity of 51 tmcft. Comparatively, during the same period last year, the reservoir held 12 tmcft of water. The inflow into the reservoir stands at 2,938 cusecs, a considerable decrease from the 22,184 cusecs recorded last year. To address the water scarcity situation, the outflow from the reservoir has been limited to 90 cusecs.
On Wednesday, the Dhupadal weir experienced an inflow and outflow of 1,605 cusecs. In the case of the Naviluteertha dam located on the Malaprabha River in Saundatti, it currently holds only 10% of its full reservoir capacity, containing 3.3 tmcft of water out of a total capacity of 37.3 tmcft. The inflow into the dam was recorded as zero, while the outflow stood at 194 cusecs.
As for the Almatti dam, it currently holds a mere 18 tmcft of water, significantly lower than its maximum capacity of 123 tmcft. The dam has observed no inflow, while the outflow was recorded at 561 cusecs.
