Karnataka: Not just crops, situation grim for cattle fodder too

Water in dams may fall short for cities' drinking needs.

At a distance of 100 metres from the Cauvery canal in Allapatna, Mandya district, are coconut trees with their leaves folded down. “The coconut trees will last about two to three months without water. After that, they will die because the lack of water has made them vulnerable to suli roga (wilt disease). These trees took 30-40 years to grow to this height,” says farmer Darshan Gowda. 

A few yards away from the line of coconut trees are vast fields of green - two major crops (paddy and sugarcane) in the Cauvery basin. The sight provides little relief to farmers this year.

“Paddy has already been transplanted. Timely watering is key, but the water situation is bleak right now. We are mostly dependent on borewell water,” says Darshan. Even though paddy and sugarcane farming are integral to household income, this year the basin (one of the most fertile parts of the state) may witness widespread crop failure. 

Karnataka used to cultivate paddy on 4.22 lakh ha of land in the command area of the Cauvery and Tungabhadra rivers. However, this kharif season, sowing has taken place only on 3.34 lakh ha until last month. 

Like Allapatna, villages in the Cauvery basin are grappling with a monsoon deficit and limited water supply for irrigation from the Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) dam. Villages in the Cauvery basin are home to a wide variety of crops such as sugarcane, paddy, ragi, tomato, banana and coconuts. 

Water from the KRS, Kabini and Hemavathi reservoirs is integral to agriculture in Mandya, Mysuru and Hassan districts. While there have been efforts in the past to supplement this dependence on the Cauvery river and its tributaries, through the construction of farm ponds and by filling up village lakes through lift irrigation, the survival of these efforts depends on the regularity of monsoons. 

“Some farmers have a little water left in these ponds. They are preserving it for the livestock,” says Ratnamma, an agricultural labourer in Allapatna. Ratnamma explains that there are several things hinging on the supply of consistent water, apart from the survival of crops. 

Lined along the crop fields is grass, particularly cultivated for cattle. “This grass will dry up in a month or two. After which, even our cattle will not have food,” she says.  

To date, farmers in Srirangapatna have received water for irrigation two-three times. They have been promised water releases five times for the kharif season (by the end of October). 

However, farmers remain doubtful that this release will be guaranteed, given the severe pressure on water resources in KRS dam. In fact, their fear now is no longer limited to irrigation, but extends to availability of water for drinking purposes in cities like Bengaluru and Mysuru. 

Jawarame Gowda explains why this concern has emerged. “If you look at our villages now, we only have middle-aged farmers. The youth have all relocated to cities, either for studies or jobs,” he says. Elders and relatives in villages, along with worrying about crops in peril, are concerned about possible drinking water crisis in cities. 

“They are our people, how can we not be worried?” asks Gowda.