Bengaluru, 16 July

State government is set to introduce a bill this week to tackle the issue of unregulated borewells and pump sets threatening irrigation projects. The bill will ban the installation of pump sets within 1km of canals across the State and make permission mandatory to dig borewells.

MLA Jagadish Gudaganti in the State Assembly said that water from the Thungala-Savalagi lift irrigation project was not reaching the intended beneficiaries.

While responding to the MLA's claim, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who also holds the Water Resources portfolio, said, "Around 90 per cent of canal water in North Karnataka is diverted before reaching its destination. Similar things may happen in Yettinahole too soon. Hence, a bill will be placed in the session to prevent such issues from happening again.”

Shivakumar acknowledged the challenges faced by lift irrigation projects, pointing out how tail-end areas in districts such as Mandya, Hassan, and Bagalkot are deprived of water due to mid-canal diversions.

“Without such a bill, lift irrigation projects will not yield results. We have spent Rs 25,000 crore for Yettinahole project. I am concerned if the water would even reach Tumakuru due to the use of illegal pump sets,” he said.

He revealed a report indicating that water pumped through these projects is often lifted again 10 km further, defeating the project's purpose. This misuse also extends to KRS water not reaching Malavalli and the Gadag for over two decades. -Salar News