Yediyurappa offers bagina to Cauvery, Kapila rivers

Mysuru / Mandya: Days after the major dams in the Cauvery basin reached their maximum capacity, chief minister B S Yediyurappa on Friday offered puja and bagina to Cauveryand Kapila rivers at KRS and Kabini dams respectively.

The CM thanked gods for the bounty, which he said will help the farming community. This is the fifth time Yediyurappa has offered bagina to the rivers.

He said the government is committed to implement the Mekedatu dam project while he announced Rs 8.48 crore funds to replace the16 crest gates of KRS dam. “Our government is focusing on irrigation projects across the state and have spent Rs 74,000 crore on 28 irrigation projects,” he said. [Read more]

Rajasthan CM bats for drip irrigation system

Jaipur, Sep 17 (PTI) Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday asked the water resources department to implement new irrigation projects in the state by using drip irrigation system. 

In a statement, he said every drop of water should be saved due to its limited availability for irrigation and drinking.

He was addressing a review meeting of the water resources department at his residence. 

"The Agriculture Department, Horticulture Department and Water Resources Department should coordinate meetings to ensure the benefit of drip irrigation and sprinkler methods in the ongoing projects in the department. The projects should be completed in a time bound manner," Gehlot said.

It was told in the meeting that compared to previous years, Rajasthan received 24 per cent more water from Ravi-Beas rivers and 9 per cent more water from Sutlej and double from Yamuna this year.

The CM also directed the water resources department to coordinate with the Punjab government and take action to obtain water as per the inter-state agreement.

"With the re-lining of works, the Indira Gandhi canal system will get water in the prescribed capacity and the common people of 10 districts of western Rajasthan will benefit," the statement said. [Readmore]

Work on dam likely to be completed in 2 years: Minister

GAYA: The proposed rubber dam on the Falgu near Vishnupad Temple in Gaya, for which the state cabinet approved Rs 226 crore on Tuesday, will be the first of its kind anywhere in north India.

The country’s first rubber dam was constructed on river Jhanjhavathi in Andhra Pradesh in 2006.

According to Gaya Town MLA and agriculture minister, Prem Kumar, the new dam, work on which is likely to be completed in two years, will help the pilgrims perform salvation-related rituals and get fresh water for ‘tarpan’ (water obeisance) easily. [Readmore]

At least 24 out of India’s 123 reservoirs are full: Central Water Commission

Situation precarious for Karnataka and Maharashtra, where ‘heavy’ to ‘very heavy’ rainfall is predicted in some parts; five dams in both states are full

    At least 24 reservoirs out of the 123 monitored by the Central Water Commission (CWC) were 100 percent full. Eight of the reservoirs were located in Maharashtra, five in Karnataka, two each in Jharkhand, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Telangana, with one each in Odisha and Rajasthan, according to a bulletin released by CWC September 10, 2020.

The situation was precarious for Karnataka and Maharashtra, where the India Meteorological Department predicted ‘heavy’ to ‘very heavy’ rainfall in some parts. At least five dams in both states were 100 per cent full, with the CWC advising a close watch. Dam authorities must be careful in releasing this water and not wait till the last moment, the CWC advised. [Readmore]

Fund shortage: Gosikhurd dam delayed further, revised deadline 2024

The irrigation department’s request for higher allocation of funds for the project has not been accepted. In the two-day monsoon session, supplementary demands failed to accommodate the financial demand for the project.

    The Gosikhurd National Irrigation Project in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra will be delayed by four years due to financial constraints. The annual allocation for the project for 2020-21 made by the state government is just Rs 500 crore against a requirement of Rs 1,500 crore. Another hurdle in the way is the 50 percent shortage of employees deployed for project work. As a result, the deadline for the completion of the project has been revised from 2021 to 2024. [Readmore]

Sardar Sarovar dam water submerges Narmada valley

BHOPAL: Following heavy rains in the Narmada catchment area and the opening of sluice gates of the big dams on the river, the valley is again facing large-scale submergence, affecting thousands of villagers, who are awaiting compensation.

A large number of people still live in the villages across the Narmada valley where water is dangerously rising. Though Sardar Sarovar project dam gates were opened, the amount of water reaching the dam is more than the water being released from the mighty reservoir. Villagers said that on August 31, the height of the water stood at 134.56 metres and submerged thousands of acres of land. Last year, Gujarat had filled the dam to a height of 138.68 metres and a large number of villagers were shifted to tin sheds. [Readmore]