The Hindu : Farmers block release of water to T.N.

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Sep 08, 2002

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Farmers block release of water to T.N.

By Our Staff Correspondent

Farmers laying a siege to the Kabini reservoir near Mysore on Saturday.

MYSORE Sept. 7. More than 1,000 angry farmers of T. Narsipur taluk in Mysore district, Karnataka, today laid siege to the Kabini reservoir, about 62 km from here, and blocked the release of water from it to Tamil Nadu.

The farmers forced their way into the reservoir's control room, defying the police and closed the four crest gates, blocking the flow of water to the Mettur Dam in Tamil Nadu.

The Secretary of the Irrigation Department had directed the release of 12,000 cusecs (1.2 tmc ft.) of water a day from the reservoir, in keeping with the Supreme Court order to Karnataka that 1.25 tmc ft. of water be made available to Tamil Nadu daily. The Government is releasing 1.2 tmc ft. of water a day since Wednesday.

The farmers reached the dam this afternoon in 20 lorries and gheraoed the irrigation officials. Threatening the Government with dire consequences if it continued with the release of water, they farmers took the controls of the crest gate and blocked the release of water since 3 p.m.

Mallesh, president of Mysore and Chamarajanagar District Farmers' Protection Committee, who led the farmers, told The Hindu the farmers threatened to commit suicide by jumping into the reservoir if they were arrested. He said the dam had barely nine tmc ft. of water for irrigation on Wednesday. The water level stood at 2,280 feet as against its maximum level of 2,284 feet. Farmers continued to stay put in the reservoir till late in the evening. Security was stepped up at the reservoir and the Superintendent of Police, Srinivasan, was camping there.

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