Assessors for irrigation in Hemavathi, Kabini

Bangalore, May 23: Overruling the suggestion of Tamil Nadu, the Assessors report on water requirement of riparian states in the Cauvery basin has maintained that there was need for taking up artificial irrigation in the command areas of Hemavathi, Harangi and Kabini projects in Karnataka for raising semi-dry crops.

The assessors report prepared by experts, J L Gianchandani and S R Sahasrabudhe, had been circulated by the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal to the states in dispute for their views, to be submitted before June 14.

Karnataka had in its plea before the Tribunal stated that a cultivable area of 14,94,597 hectares with a population of 5.03 million had been identified as drought prone in 28 taluks falling under the Cauvery basin of the state.

In its statement of the case as well as in its pleadings for new projects in the basin, Karnataka had stated that it planned to raise semi-dry crops in all the major and medium projects. The main reservoir projects mentioned were Hemavathi, Harangi and Kabini in which bulk of the available river supplies were planned for raising khariff and rabi semi-dry crops and small areas for paddy, except in Kabini where over 50,000 acres new irrigation had been planned for raising paddy crop.

In its arguments, Tamil Nadu had emphasised that the command areas covered by these projects receive sufficient rainfall for raising semi-dry crops.

Quoting extensively on the affidavit of Dr J S Kanwar, an expert on dryland farming, the Experts Committee said that though the net sown area in Karnataka (1,68,4000 hectares) and Tamil Nadu (2,059,000 hecares) of Cauvery basin was only about four lakh hectares, the net irrigated area in Tamil Nadu (698,000 hectares) was almost double that of Karnataka (355,000 acres).

He had observed that ''in the drought prone areas the syndrome of low crop yields, crop failures and subsistence agriculture based on the growing of low value crops and poverty of farmers persists.'' Dr Kanwar had stated that for dryland farming minimum rainfall of 400 mm was absolute minimum value during the crop season and dry spells of three weeks or more during the crop season would seriously damage the crop, especially on the lighter soils.

The Tamil Nadu counsel, the Assessors report said, had relied upon rainfall of 400 mm to be adequate even for semi-dry crop cultivation although at the end of his arguments he conceded that in some of the project areas receiving deficient rainfall one to two wettings of two inches each might be required for khariff semi-dry crop.

Dr Kanwar had stated that using alternative methods for water balance studies, it could be concluded that the 28 drought prone taluks identified by the Irrigation Commission 1972 necessarily need protective irrigation for mitigating the effect of drought.

The asessors said that the drought prone areas in 28 taluks need appropriate consideration for their livelihood and accordingly the Karnataka Government had embarked on the construction of Hemavathi, Harangi and Kabini Projects, besides several other irrigation schemes.

Stating that Tamil Nadu's contention that Karnataka did not need any water for raising semi dry crops in the command areas of Hemavathi, Harangi and Kabini projects did not hold good, the report said that assured water avaiolability would be necessary for proper raising of the semi dry crops to give optimal productivity. However the quantum of water required for different types of crops would need consideration of the availability of effective rainfall and the crop calender of proposed semi-dry crops, it added.

UNI