• Only 12.916 tmcft for drinking
• Command area farmers advised against cultivating irrigation-dependent crops

Mysuru: With monsoon inflows into the Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) Reservoir remaining far below normal, the State Government has decided to reserve the available water exclusively for drinking purposes and has urged farmers in the KRS command area not to cultivate crops dependent on reservoir irrigation this season.

Between June 1 and July 22, rainfall in the Kodagu catchment area has been significantly below normal, resulting in poor inflows into the reservoir. Officials said only 12.916 tmcft (thousand million cubic feet) of water is currently available for drinking purposes.

The decision is in line with Government orders issued in 05.03.2014, 27.03.2014 and 28.03.2014, which mandate that water stored in reservoirs under the Water Resources Department be prioritised for drinking during summer and drought conditions.

The Government reiterated this policy through communications issued on Feb. 26 and June 5 this year, directing authorities to safeguard the limited storage in KRS Dam for drinking water needs.

Impact of El Niño phenomenon

The deteriorating water situation was also reviewed at the State Cabinet meeting on July 2, where Ministers discussed the possibility of drought due to weak monsoon conditions and the impact of the El Niño phenomenon. Following the meeting, Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar had appealed to farmers not to sow crops dependent on reservoir water this season.

Acting on the Government’s directive, irrigation advisory committees have been asked to issue public appeals discouraging farmers from taking up irrigation-dependent cultivation. Member-Secretaries have also been directed to coordinate with Regional Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners to ensure effective implementation of the advisory.

Officials stressed that, under the prevailing circumstances, water stored in reservoirs cannot be released for agricultural purposes and must be conserved to meet drinking water requirements. Farmers in the KRS command area have therefore been urged not to sow crops that depend on reservoir water this year.

K. Raghuraman, Superintendent Engineer of the KRS Reservoir Project and Member-Secretary of the Mandya Irrigation Project Division, KRS Modernisation and Medium Irrigation Advisory Committee, issued this statement in the press release.