Mandya: Amid poor monsoon inflows into the Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) Reservoir, the Karnataka government has decided to reserve the available water exclusively for drinking purposes and has appealed to farmers in the KRS command area not to cultivate crops that depend on reservoir irrigation this season.
The decision comes after significantly below-normal rainfall in the Kodagu catchment area between June 1 and July 22, leading to a sharp decline in water inflows into the reservoir.
Government prioritises drinking water
According to officials, only 12.916 tmcft of water is currently available in the KRS Reservoir for drinking purposes.
The government said the move is in accordance with orders issued in March 2014, which mandate that water stored in reservoirs managed by the Water Resources Department must be prioritised for drinking needs during drought and summer conditions.
The policy was reiterated through government communications issued on February 26 and June 5 this year, directing authorities to conserve the limited storage in the KRS Dam for drinking water supply.
Weak monsoon raises drought concerns
The worsening water situation was reviewed during the State Cabinet meeting held on July 2, where ministers discussed the possibility of drought due to weak monsoon conditions and the impact of the El Niño phenomenon.
Following the meeting, Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar appealed to farmers to refrain from sowing crops dependent on reservoir water during the current season.
Farmers advised against irrigation-dependent crops
The government has directed irrigation advisory committees to issue public appeals discouraging farmers from taking up irrigation-dependent cultivation.
Member-Secretaries have also been instructed to coordinate with Regional Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners to ensure effective implementation of the advisory across the KRS command area.
Officials stressed that, under the prevailing circumstances, reservoir water cannot be released for agricultural purposes and must be conserved to meet drinking water requirements.
The statement was issued by K. Raghuraman, Superintendent Engineer of the KRS Reservoir Project and Member-Secretary of the Mandya Irrigation Project Division, KRS Modernisation and Medium Irrigation Advisory Committee.