Authorities start releasing Hemavati water to Tumkur

Authorities have started releasing water from the Hemavati reservoir at Gorur for the benefit of people in Tumkur district. The release of water had been stopped following the breach of the Left Bank Canal near Channarayapatna last month. Residents of Tumkur district staged protests in the last week, demanding release of water from the reservoir to save their standing crops. B. Padmanabha, Superintending Engineer of Canal Construction Circle of Hemavati project, told The Hindu on Tuesday that the repair work was completed on August 12. “Release of water started two days later. At the moment, 2,382 cusecs of water is being released through the canal,” he said. Residents of Kunigal and other parts of Tumkur district staged protests in the last week demanding release of water from the Hemavati reservoir. They were stating that Tumkur people were not getting water even though the reservoir was full. The delay in releasing water to Tumkur was due to breach of the canal near Nagasamudra in Channarayapatna taluk on July 27. Interestingly, the damage had occurred at a point where the canal had been strengthened by spending Rs 2.78 crore only two weeks before the breach. The contractor who had taken up the work did the repair work too. Meanwhile, the Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Ltd., has constituted a three-member team to probe the breach of the canal. -The Hindu