Mandya: The district farmers are facing despair as the current year’s delayed and scanty monsoon has left reservoirs at their lowest levels in a decade. Consequently, most Cauvery basin farmers have abandoned paddy cultivation due to concerns about insufficient water in the reservoirs.*
Farmers in Malavalli and Maddur rely on the Visvesvaraya canal and feeder canals, while those in the Talakadu area and parts of Kollegala depend on Kabini Reservoir water. The dwindling water levels in these reservoirs and canals have forced them to forgo sowing the monsoon crop.
Chief Minister S Siddaramaiah has acknowledged the state’s limited water resources, with just over 55 TMC of water available. Of this, 30 TMC is earmarked for agriculture, followed by domestic and industrial use.
Initially, farming activities showed promise when the KRS reservoir reached 113 feet in late July, and the Kabini reservoir reached 2,282 feet. The Irrigation Advisory Committee had pledged to release water for 15 days each month in KRS and Kabini reservoir areas for semi-crop cultivation. However, the government’s release of 25 TMC feet of water to Tamil Nadu, mandated by the Cauvery Water Management Authority, caused the KRS reservoir level to plummet to 97.38 feet, and the Kabini reservoir fell to 2,276.25 feet.
Mari Gowda a leader in the farming community, mentioned that in Malavalli and Maddur taluks of Mandya district, paddy and other crops have suffered. Some regions reliant on lake water and irrigation pumpsets have attempted paddy cultivation, but the lack of rain has resulted in poor yields.
Farmers in the Talakadu region, renowned for paddy cultivation, are particularly affected, with many fearing inadequate water for their crops. Attempts to grow pulses have yielded disappointing results due to the rain deficit.
In areas like Sisale, Mooguru, and parts of Kollegala taluk, where farmers hoped for rain, sugarcane crops have also suffered due to insufficient water from feeder canals.*
The situation remains dire for Mandya’s farming community as they grapple with the harsh reality of a disappointing Kharif season.