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K'taka farmers divert water released to AP

Last Updated 20 August 2012, 17:53 IST

Water supply to 196 villages and 50,000 acres of agriculture land on Andhra Pradesh-Karnataka border was disrupted after farmers in the latter state closed down the sluice gates to divert water to their lands.

Tension gripped the villages in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday when farmers of Moka, a village in Karnataka, allegedly closed down six sluice gates of Tungabhadra Low Level Canal (LLC) that supplies water to Kurnool district. Officials reopened the sluice gate to restore the Tungabhadra water to the villages.

The stoppage of water angered the farmers of Mantralayam, Emmiganuru, Adoni and Kodamur of AP, who are dependent on water supplied by LLC.

Sources in Kurnool said farmers of Kurnool tried in vain to stop the Karnataka farmers from diverting water at Bardanahalli in Karnataka which led to heated arguments. The police intervened and calmed down the warring groups. 

“Farmers of Bardanahalli village in Bellary district have also been diverting water from LLC. On top of it, they have closed down the sluice gates,” a farmer said.

According irrigation authorities in Kurnool, Karnataka released 40 tmc water from Tungabhadra dam in Hospet on Sunday.

With Karnataka closing the gates, thousands of acres of agriculture land in AP was deprived of its due share of water and the farmers appealed the state government for help. Urging the Karnataka officials to resolve the problem, Minister for Minor Irrigation T G Venkatesh and local MLA Erasu Pratap Reddy on Monday said that they would speak to the government of Karnataka.

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(Published 20 August 2012, 17:53 IST)

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