Upper Bhadra water release acquires electoral overtones in Karnataka

With the ruling Congress releasing water from the Chitradurga branch canal of the Upper Bhadra Project (UBP) ahead of the Assembly bypoll in Hiriyur, farmers in Tumakuru district have stepped up their agitation, demanding that the government expedite the pending canal works and release water into the Tumakuru branch canal to fill tanks in the district.

Election to the South East Graduates’ Constituency scheduled on October 23, which covers Chitradurga and parts of Davangere, is also believed to have prompted the authorities to release water from the Bhadra reservoir into the Chitradurga branch canal.

Not yet announced

The Election Commission of India is yet to announce the schedule for the Hiriyur bypoll, necessitated by the death of former Minister D. Sudhakar. However, the decision to release water into the Chitradurga branch canal, on an experimental basis from September 6, has already triggered a political debate, with Opposition parties alleging that the move is aimed at influencing voters ahead of the election.

Last week, Janata Dal (Secular) youth wing chief Nikhil Kumaraswamy drew criticism from farmers in Chitradurga after he described the release of water into the canal as a “gimmick” ahead of the elections.

The decision has, however, disappointed farmers in drought-prone parts of Tumakuru district, including Chikkanayakanahalli, Sira, Madhugiri, and Pavagada. Farmers associated with the Raitha Sangha staged a protest in Sira and other places and submitted a memorandum to the Executive Engineer of the UBP, demanding that water be released into the Tumakuru branch canal wherever the work has been completed and that the pending works be expedited.

Congress leader Muralidhar Halappa from the district, who held meetings and led the protest, said farmers in Tumakuru had been waiting for years to receive water from the project to fill tanks in the region.

Farmers and Congress leaders from the district met Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and sought the release of water into the completed stretches of the canal (53 km) so that tanks in Sira and Chikkanayakanahalli could be filled. Mr. Shivakumar, however, is learnt to have asked them to wait, pointing out that the project required additional funds to complete the remaining works.

From January, 2027

According to project officials, water from the Tunga is expected to be lifted to the Bhadra reservoir on an experimental basis from January 2027. The 134-km Chitradurga branch canal is expected to be completed by January 2027, while the 159-km Tumakuru branch canal is targeted for completion in 2028.

The UBP was mooted decades ago, but work began only over two decades ago and has progressed slowly owing to land acquisition, forest clearances, funding constraints, cost escalation, compensation, and delays in clearing contractors’ bills.

The UBP envisages the utilization of 29.9 tmcft of water to provide irrigation to about 2.25 lakh hectares in the drought-prone districts of Chikkamagaluru, Chitradurga, Tumakuru, and Davangere and the filling of 367 tanks.

The project cost has risen from an initial ₹7,000 crore to over ₹23,000 crore. The Centre’s promised ₹5,300 crore is yet to be released, while Karnataka continues to seek national project status for the UBP.