2.75 TMCFT Krishna water to be released to save chilli crop: DyCM

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Deputy Chief Minister and Water Resources Minister DK Shivakumar said that 2.75 thousand million cubic feet (TMFCT) water will be released from Alamatti and Narayanpura reservoirs to save the chilli crop in the Upper Krishna basin.

Addressing a press conference on Sunday, he said: “Water will be released immediately. Water has to flow 75 km and is expected to reach in two or three days.”

“Last night, a meeting was held with district in-charge ministers of Kalaburgi, Raichur, Bagalkote, Yadgiri, MLAs of all parties and farmer leaders. In this meeting, people's representatives explained the situation and demanded that water be released,” he added.

Shivakumar said that since the drought was quite severe and some farmers have planted chillies instead of paddy.

“If this crop is destroyed, the estimated loss will be around two thousand crore rupees,” he said.

As many as 216 of the 236 taluks of the state have been declared drought-hit by the State government.

“To protect our farmers, last night we decided to release 2.75 TMC of water for one last time. Protesting farmers and legislators should now ensure that the water will be used only for chilli crops. We have released the water hoping that the farmers will utilise the water in a responsible manner,” the Deputy CM said.

“Earlier we had protected Mandya farmers. Later when there was an issue with Bhadra water, we resolved that problem too. Now the chilli growers in the Upper Krishna basin are also being protected. No water will be released for agricultural purposes after this. When the state is facing such a worst drought situation, people and people's representatives should cooperate with the government,” he said.

The Water Resources Minister revealed that Alamatti and Narayanpur dams together have 47 TMCFT water, adding that 37 TMCFT water is needed for drinking water and 3 TMCFT water for other purposes.

Moreover, 1.5 TMCFT water is lost during water flow, he added.

Shivakumar disclosed that a team of 31 MPs would visit the state on Monday to inspect the riverlinking proposal.