Vijayapura: The Irrigation Consultative Committee (ICC) has resolved to start distributing water from the Almatti Dam for irrigation purposes in the Krishna River Catchment area for 71 days from March 21 next year.
The decision was taken during a meeting chaired by Chairman of the committee and Deputy Chief Minister Govind Karjol. MLAs of different taluks that come under catchment areas also attended the meeting.
Addressing a press conference after the meeting, Karjol informed that separate regulation has been fixed for the release of water from the Narayanpura Dam where water will be released for 14 days and suspension of service for the next eight days.
“The regulation will, however, be different for the Almatti Dam, where water will be discharged through the canals for eight days and no discharge for seven days for maintaining the regulation,” Karjol said.
He said that after the release of water on regulated bases for irrigation purposes till November 17 for the Kharif season, both dams will have around 116.33 tmcft of water.
“Till June 2021, the water for drinking purposes, industries, tanks, evaporation and other uses, around 38.80 tmcft water is required. Therefore, around 77.53 tmcft of water can be discharged through canals,” he said.
If 1.06 tmcft of water is discharged every day, then for 71 days, water can be released. For that, based on a regulated system, water can be released till March 21 next year, he added.
Stating that this year the dams have filled to their brim owing to the rains, the dam authorities are able to release water to canals almost every day for the Kharif season.
“If adequate water remains stored in the dam even after March 21, then another meeting can be convened to decide whether to release additional water to the canals,” the Minister said.
An action plan woth Rs 1,000 crores for the maintenance of the dam divisions of the state has been withheld due to the Covid pandemic, admitted Minister Karjol, adding that he would try to get the funds released after speaking to Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa.
Referring to the demand to extend 5% reservation for the families who have given land for the construction of the Almatti Dam, he said that he would speak to the CM in this regard.
The Minister said that for the restoration of saline land, funds would be allocated to the Krishna Command Area Development Authority (CADA).
MLAs A. S. Patil Nadahalli, Veeranna Charantimath, Venkatareddy Mudnal, M C Managuli, Devanand Chavan, Somanagouda Patil Sasnur, Narasimha Nayak, Sharanabasappa Darshanapur, D S Hulageri, Shivanagouda Patil, Basanagouda Daddal, Amareshgouda Patil, Basavaraj Patil, MP Ramesh Jigajinagi, KBJNL MD Prabhakar Chini, Chief Engineer Pradip Mitra and Deputy Commissioner P. Sunil Kumar were present.
