Mandya: With the inflow into KRS dam going up due to rainfall in its catchment areas in Kodagu and Mysuru districts, farmers in Mandya are demanding water to save standing crops. Under the banner of Mandya District Raitha Hitarakshana Samiti, they staged a protest outside the deputy commissioner’s office on Monday, demanding the immediate release of water into irrigation canals to save standing crops.On Monday, the water level at the dam was 92.14 ft as against it’s maximum capacity of 124.8 ft. Though the dam’s water level rose by more than 11 ft in the last 10 days, it has not even reached its one-third storage capacity. Farmers are apprehensive that the state govt will release it to Tamil Nadu as stipulated by the tribunal and the Supreme Court.While raising slogans against the state govt, the protesters accused the authorities of neglecting the plight of farmers despite sugarcane crops drying up without water. They said the delay in releasing canal water had pushed farmers into severe distress and urged the govt to act without further delay.Farmer leaders Sunanda Jayaram, Indavalu Chandrashekhar, Manjunath, Krishna and several others took part in the demonstration.The protesters also opposed drawing additional Cauvery water for drinking water as part of the proposed drinking water project. They said that diverting additional water was not justified when farmers were struggling to secure water for cultivation. They also demanded that the project be shelved until adequate irrigation water was made available to agricultural fields.Submitting their demands to the district administration, the farmers called for the immediate release of canal water and measures to safeguard the ongoing crop season. They warned that if the govt failed to respond, they would intensify their agitation across the district. Various pro-farmer organisations, including Dalit Sangarsha Samithi, were involved in protests at different places.
