Mandya :The sharp dip in the water level at Krishnarajasagar Reservoir (KRS) has become a cause of concern for the farmers in the district.
There has been a gradual decline in the inflow into the dam has over the course of years.
Last year on June 11, the water level in the dam stood at 110.20 feet, as against 82.32 feet this year, 28 feet less than the previous year. The inflow into the dam last year stood at 11,267 cusecs, as against 1,637 cusecs this year.
This year, the water level in the dam continued to remain at 82 feet in the July (maximum level 123.80 feet). The inflow to the reservoir increases if Kodagu and parts of Kerala including Wayanad, receive good rainfall. With the monsoon yet to pick up pace in the catchment areas, the water level in the reservoir continues to be at a low ebb. As soon as the water level in the dam decreased, the flow of water to all the canals in the region too was stopped in summer. When monsoon turned weak in June, the farmers demanded water to be let into the canals to save standing sugarcane crops.
Bowing to the farmers, the government, released water only for a week and that too in Srirangapatna and Pandavapura taluks. Since the canals at Hulikere village in Mandya taluk, were under repair, the canals in Mandya, Maddur and Malavalli regions did not receive water.
With the sugarcane crops in these regions beginning to wither away, the panicked farmers are now demanding the government to halt all repair works and release water. However, the Irrigation department has assured that the works would be completed by July-end. The district, that already faced water crisis during summer, saw most of its villages being supplied with water through tankers.
Sowing hindered
Scanty rain has affected sowing in the district. As against the target of 2.06 lakh hectarres only 23,607 hectares of land (about 11.4 per cent), has been sowed so far.
In June, the district usually receives 54.6 mm of rainfall, while it has received 66 mm this year. While first week of June received good rainfall, a dry spell continued to prevail for the rest of the month, affecting farming activities.
