Ballari
The BJP Kisan Morcha staged a protest at the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Ballari and submitted a memorandum demanding that the government ensure the full release of water from the Tungabhadra Reservoir to the High-Level Canal (HLC) and Low-Level Canal (LLC).
BJP Kisan Morcha State Vice-President S. Gurulinganagouda said water had been released into the canals from August 11, but only around 3.5 feet was currently flowing. As several distribution points are located four to five feet above the water level, the available water was not reaching farmers’ fields and was going waste, he said.
He pointed out that the district had received around 50 per cent less monsoon rainfall and farmers were already facing financial difficulties after water shortages during the previous season due to gate construction works. Nearly 2.81 lakh acres of agricultural land depends on canal water, he said.
Gurulinganagouda urged the authorities to immediately release water at full capacity into the HLC and LLC so that it reaches the tail-end distribution points. He also demanded that temporary gates be installed on a war footing in the sub-canals under HLC Distribution Canal No. 14 to ensure equitable water distribution.
He further warned that unless steps were taken to simultaneously release the share of water allocated to Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, the farmers would launch a large-scale protest. BJP Kisan Morcha office-bearers G. Virupakshagowda, Ganapal Ayanthareddy, Veeresh, Mahadev and Hanumanthu were present.
