PANAJI
The tribunal during an inspection of the area in 2013 was approached by several farmers from drought-prone district of Belgaum and included parts of Bailhongal, Ramdurg and Saudatti, who belonged to the nearby Malaprabha basin. The farmers had demanded water for irrigation based on which, Karnataka made a proposal to take up the Drought Prone Area Programme (DPAP) in the area for drinking water and protective irrigation.
These areas, in the past had a different crop pattern, a fact which Goa pointed to. According to Goa, the cropping pattern was in complete contrast to what was planned by the Karnataka government.
“Crops like paddy, sugarcane and horticulture which are water guzzlers seem to have replaced the traditional cropping pattern. In the last thirty years several sugar mills have come up in the Malaprabha basin, apart from many others in neighbouring areas. The traditional four-month cultivation cycle has found it difficult to resist the profit-driven approach of growing of the 11-month water intensive crops,” Goa claims adding, that the area under cultivation of sugarcane had also increased from 224 hectares in 1979-80 to 2756 hectares in 2012-13.
They also raised objection to work undertaken by Karnataka in building canals to the Kalsa Bhandura project which was based on an in principle clearance by the Central Water Commission (CWC) which was later kept in abeyance.
“The main condition to the said ‘in principle clearance’ was that the State of Karnataka should not make infrastructure and provisions for conveying quantum of water that was allowed in the said clearance. However, the ongoing works of Karnataka totally breaches this condition once the interconnecting channel is completed,” said Goa.
