While the farmers in the neighbouring State Tamil Nadu are rejoicing over the fact that lakhs of cusecs of water released from Krishnarajasagar Reservoir (KRS) has reached Mettur dam, it is ironical that some parts of Mandya district have been deprived of the same.
With the Cauvery catchment areas getting good rains, the water level started rising in the KRS dam, and water has been discharged into the river simultaneously for almost a month. But the lakes and channels on the edges of the district have not received water till date, much to the disappointment of the farmers. As a result farming activities have not begun in more than 18,000 hectares.
Water was discharged from the midnight of June 9 and should have filled the lakes and reached the canals within 15 days. But the negligence of the authorities concerned and misuse of water by the farmers in the upper region has resulted in the water not reaching a few parts of the district.
The discharged water has reached Keregodu region now and is yet to reach Koudle, Maddur canals. Only after the Maddur lake fills, water will flow into Kemmannu canal. Executive engineer of V C Division Basavarajegowda has assured that all the parts of the district will get water within the next three days.
Lakes filled
There are 119 lakes coming under VC division in Mandya, out of which only four lakes have completely filled and the seepage has filled about 25 per cent of the other lakes. Some lakes are yet to get water.
Malavalli sub-division has 39 lakes, and only three of them have filled so far. Malavalli division engineer Parashivamurthy says that as the lands were parched, it would take a while for the lakes to get filled up. The lakes at Nagamangala and others are still left dry. District-in-charge Minister M H Ambareesh had issued directions that lakes be filled up immediately, but this has not being followed.
Meanwhile, MLA P M Narendraswamy alleged that water was being misused at Srirangapatna and Pandavapura, and demanded release of water to the regions situated on the edges of the district immediately.