Karnataka Budget 2021-22: Big projects get a boost as irrigation receives Rs 21,181 crore

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said a new policy will be formulated for the operation and management of all lift irrigation projects, while his budget made promises to expedite several pending projects in this key sector.

The Water Resources department has received an allocation of Rs 21,181 crore. “For the implementation of irrigation works, a grant of Rs 5,600 crore would be provided to Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigama,” Yediyurappa said.

“It is the endeavour of our government by providing the required resources to successfully implement the Upper Krishna Project Stage-III which aims to provide irrigation facility to six lakh hectares of command area in North Karnataka,” Yediyurappa said.

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“In this direction, our government is striving to issue a gazette notification of the final award of the Krishna Tribunal-II and to obtain the status of a ‘national project’ for this.”

Yediyurappa also promised to give priority to complete the first stage of the Yettinahole lift irrigation project, which will benefit Hassan, Chikkamagaluru, Tumakuru, Bengaluru Rural, Ramanagar, Chikkaballapur and Kolar districts.

The Mahadayi project -- diversion of Kalasa and Banduri Nala -- will get “the required grant” this year, Yediyurappa said, who added that the government will obtain the Centre’s clearance for this.

Similarly, the government will take the Centre’s assistance to complete the Upper Bhadra Project at a cost of Rs 21,474 crore.

“This will benefit the farmers of Chikkamagaluru, Chitradurga, Davangere and Tumakuru districts,” Yediyurappa said. “A proposal to declare this project a ‘national project’ is at the stage of obtaining investment clearance from the Centre.”

The government is in talks with Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to construct a balancing reservoir near Navali in Koppal “to replenish the deficit in the storage of water due to filling of silt in Tungabhadra reservoir,” Yediyurappa said.

Watering hopes

* Rs 500 crore to fill 234 tanks of Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, Tumakuru and Chikkaballapur districts with 308 MLD water processed from the Vrishabhavathi Valley

* Under the World Bank-aided DRIP project, Yediyurappa said 58 dams will be improved at a cost of Rs 1,500 crore

* Rs 500 crore will be earmarked for the Paschimavahini Project to utilize west-flowing river waters for agricultural activity and drinking water purposes. For this, 1,348 vented dams will be constructed in stages at an estimated cost of Rs 3,986 crore over five years.

* To utilise a total of 22 tmc ft of water under the Bedthi-Varada river linking project to enable permanent water supply to north Karnataka.