Karnataka releases 2.75 tmcft of water from Almatti Dam

Bengaluru: “It has been decided to flow 2.75 tmcft of water from Alamatti and Narayanpura Reservoir to save the chilli crop of the upper Krishna dam region,” DCM DK Shivakumar said.

DCM Shivakumar said this at a media conference at Sadashivanagar residence on Sunday. Water will be released immediately. 75 km of water has to flow. Water can be reached in two or three days. “Last night, a meeting was held with the district ministers of Kalaburgi, Raichur, Bagalkote, Yadgiri, MLAs of all parties and farmers’ leaders. In this meeting, the people’s representatives explained the actual situation and demanded to release water. This is the biggest drought in the history of the state. Most of the taluks are drought-affected. An announcement has been made. Despite requests not to plant crops in drought conditions, some farmers have planted chillies instead of paddy. If this crop is destroyed, there is a possibility of a loss of Rs 2,000 crore,” said DCM Shivakumar.

In a meeting held last night, it was decided to release 2.75 tmcft of water to the crops for the last time for the purpose of protecting the farmers. Protesting farmers and legislators who have appealed should use this water only for chilli crops. We are giving this responsibility to the farmers of that area and releasing water, said DCM Shivakumar.

He said, Earlier we had protected Mandya farmers. In the meantime, when Bhadra faced a problem with water, we had solved the problem. Now the farmers are being protected on the upper banks of Krishna. After this no water is released for agricultural purposes. In such a difficult situation, people and people’s representatives should cooperate with the government.

When asked how much water is stored, he said, “Alamatti and Narayanpur dams together have 47 tmcft

water available. 37 tmcft water is needed for drinking water and 3 tmc water for other purposes. 1.5 tmcft water is lost during water drainage. Now we have decided to release 2.75 tmcft water due to the pressure of this part.” We have to manage the water for another six months, so this time we are giving water to the farmers’ fields for the last time.

MLAs and ministers of all parties have put a lot of pressure on me. We have taken this decision after discussing with MLAs, ministers and officials of all parties,” he said.

When asked how he will monitor the use of water, he said, “The police cannot be used to monitor it. So I will give this responsibility to the people’s representatives and farmers’ organizations. You have to be the police and make good use of this water. We have also instructed our officials. But the officials cannot fight with the farmers. If that is done the media will make it a big issue. The media should also give priority to the responsibility of the farmers,” he said.

A team of 31 MPs to visit the state

When asked about the river alignment proposal which would be helpful when such problems are faced, he said, “This is a central government project. This is a big project and we should not deviate now. Tomorrow, a team of 31 parliamentarians from Central is coming to observe Cauvery. Our irrigation problem will be discussed.”

The budget will be presented in February, when asked about the upper Krishna project fund, He said, “we will discuss the budget issue with the Chief Minister. We will give our proposal.”

When asked if he would go to the inauguration of the Ram Mandir, he said, “I and our Chief Minister have not received an invitation. I read in the newspapers that our President has received an invitation.

The party will decide on this matter. We keep a photo of Shiva and Hanuman in our house and worship. “There is no need to politicize the issue. RSS and BJP are giving mantrakshate. They are distributing mantrakshate in Annabhagya rice. That is our happiness,” he said.

There is no State Government contribution in Anna Bhagya Yojana. When asked about former CM Bommai’s statement that this is rice provided by the Modi government, he retorted, “The Food Security Act was brought by Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi. Bommai has forgotten this issue. We have offered to give 10 kg of rice. My friend must have started to forget.”

When asked about Kumaraswamy’s allegation that the government had silenced Jayachandra on the Nice issue, He said, “Let’s discuss this at another time. I told them to come to the discussion in the session. Why didn’t they come to the discussion there?” He questioned.

When asked about Deve Gowda’s statement that Congress will come to an end by Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar, He said, “The Congress party has a history of 138 years. People have elected us in 135 constituencies. In addition to that, our strength is 138 with Independent MLAs.” When asked if there was any strategy behind the rant against you and Siddaramaiah, he said, “We should be remembered. Whatever they say, we think it is a blessing.”