CH NEWS, YADGIR
Overgrown with bushes and thorny shrubs, damaged concrete retaining walls, broken steps, roads constructed over collapsed canal walls, water leaking through cracks, illegal pump sets operating along the upper reaches and agricultural fields at the tail-end receiving no water, this is the sorry state of canals in the command area of the Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigam Limited (KBJNL) and the Hattikuni and Soudagar twin reservoirs under the Water Resources Department.
Yadgir is predominantly an agricultural district, with a substantial area of farmland dependent on both rainfall and irrigation water from the Basava Sagar reservoir. Despite decades having passed since the implementation of the Basava Sagar irrigation project, water is still not reaching several tail-end areas of the command region. More than 2 lakh hectares of land in the district is under irrigation. Paddy and cotton are the major crops, besides tur, jowar, bajra, sugarcane and groundnut. With rainfall deficient this year, the reservoir has become their main source of hope. However, the deteriorating canal network has left farmers worried.
Although water is flowing adequately through the main canal, distribution canals, sub-canals and field channels are not being properly maintained. Several canals have reportedly been awaiting repairs for years, but comprehensive restoration has not been undertaken. Farmers allege that the unscientific construction of canals at some locations has also prevented water from reaching the tail-end fields. Delayed tendering and hurried execution of poor-quality works are cited as major reasons for the continued deterioration of the canal network.
Despite the presence of the Krishna and Bhima rivers in the district, proper utilisation of the available water resources and its distribution to agricultural fields through canals remains a challenge. Water from the Basava Sagar reservoir is still not reaching the entire command area. The continuing deterioration of the canal network has become a major concern for farmers, particularly amid the rainfall deficit this year.
