Farmers in Nargund Struggle with Failed Irrigation Projects Amid Water Shortages

Nargund: Farmers in Nargund are grappling with severe water shortages, despite being classified as a semi-irrigated area. Water from the Malaprabha canal, meant to irrigate their fields, rarely reaches the land, leaving many farmers unable to grow crops. The situation has worsened due to the dilapidation of lift irrigation projects and jackwells, installed over two decades ago to channel water from the Bennethalla stream.

The lift irrigation schemes, initially meant to improve water flow to the region, have largely failed due to poor maintenance and vandalism. Equipment at jackwells is broken, transformers have been stolen, and rusted pipes have further hampered the water flow. Although three of the seven lift irrigation projects were functional at the start, they ceased operation after power supply issues and theft of transformers. As a result, the water that was supposed to flow from Bennethalla into the fields remains unused, and government funds allocated for these schemes have been wasted.

Despite protests from farmers, who have been pressing the authorities to address the issue, temporary repairs to the jackwells have proved futile, with operations halting again soon after. The irrigation department’s negligence, coupled with inadequate maintenance and a lack of security, has left the infrastructure in ruins.

The irrigation system was designed to channel water from the Naviluteertha Dam in Saundatti to the Malaprabha canals during the dry season, with the goal of ensuring water distribution across ten villages in Nargund. However, more than 50% of the land in these villages remains without water. A previous government introduced a scheme to divert water from Bennethalla using jackwells and pipelines. While large cement pipes were initially laid, frequent pipe bursts and other technical issues rendered the project ineffective, and the desired water flow was never achieved.

Over time, thieves stole copper wiring and other essential components from the jackwells, making them inoperable. Farmers are calling on the irrigation department to replace the corroded pipes with more durable materials to restore water supply to the region.

The Ganganapur and Madagunkhi jackwells, which were in working condition a decade ago, were damaged after valuable copper wiring was stolen. Despite filing cases, there has been little action, leaving farmers feeling helpless. The lack of security at the sites has only worsened the situation.

The irrigation department’s failure to maintain the infrastructure, compounded by underfunding and understaffing, has contributed to the decline of the project. Farmers believe that the government’s inability to secure funding and properly maintain the irrigation systems has worsened the water crisis in the region.

Veeranna Sasalli, a farmer from Hadali, expressed his frustration: “The jackwells in Hadali and Madagunkhi were well-built but are now shut down due to stolen transformers. We need these systems urgently, as Bennethalla is full but unusable. The irrigation department should restore these systems within two weeks.”

J.A. Mullanavar from Surakoda added, “The Surakoda jackwell, built two decades ago, only supplied water for two months before it ceased functioning. The government should take this seriously and restore the jackwell for our benefit.”

In 2021, a ₹80 crore allocation was announced under former Minister C.C. Patil to replace pipes and repair ten jackwells in Nargund, along with two in Navalgund. However, the change in government has stalled the release of funds, and the work remains unstarted.

Farmers are now demanding that the government take immediate action to complete this critical project, ensuring that the necessary water reaches their fields and preventing further hardship.