Member of the Irrigational Advisory Committee of the Hemavathi reservoir project P Rangaraju has informed that required measures are being taken to release water from the Hemavathi reservoir to the kharif crops cultivated in the catchment area for the current year.

A decision in this regard had already been taken at the Irrigational Advisory Committee meeting of the Hemavathi reservoir project.

Already from July 5th onwards, water was being released to the crops being cultivated in the catchment area from 7 am, from the Hemavathi right bank canal, left bank canal, right upper canal and Tumkur and Nagamangala branch canals, for drinking and land development purposes also. And this system will continue upto November 30, 2007, the member informed.

Water was being released from the Hemavathi left bank canal upto 212 kms, covering 49,573 hectares for the cultivation of dry crops in the catchment area, also, water was being released upto 91 kms from the right bank canal from 1 to 22 and 23 to 57 distributory canal to irrigate 2,833 hectares of land cultivating paddy and 5,261 hectares of land cultivating dry crops, water was being released upto 97 kms from the right bank canal from 1 to 7 and 8 to 41 distributory canal for the cultivation of 2,428 hectares of land growing paddy and 16,811 hectares of land growing dry crops, the member informed.