Ministers Mushrif, Vikhe Patil and Abitkar at Kolhapur’s Canal Advisory Committee meeting
Kolhapur: The reservoirs in Kolhapur district have 84 TMC of water stock left, but the rate of evaporation from the dams is a serious cause for concern, water resources minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said on Friday. “The govt has not imposed any restrictions on growing sugar cane due to water scarcity, after several farmer leaders raised the issue during the meeting.
The minister said this while chairing the canal advisory committee meeting for Kolhapur district. I, however, request the farmers to grow crops based on the availability of water,” Vikhe Patil said. However, the use of drip irrigation has proved to be water-efficient,” he said. Vikhe Patil said that he has asked the officials to ban water lifting from upstream stretches of the rivers and canals to ensure the water reaches the tail end and till the barrages downstream are filled.
Minister Hasan Mushrif suggested that sugar cane-growing farmers should use drip irrigation to save water. “The sugar cane crop is water-intensive.
Raju Shetti, farmer leader and ex-MP, said that at the meeting he suggested not imposing the decision of restrictions over water use taken for the state on Kolhapur district and planning water use according to the local needs. The minister also asked civic authorities to convene a meeting soon and plan water use according to the directions. Vikhe Patil has directed authorities to start helplines connecting farmers directly with the offices of the irrigation department’s superintendent engineer and executive engineers for information on water availability and grievance redressal. The state has ordered cuts in water supply in municipal areas.
It is a cause of worry for us,” said the minister. “The effect of El Nino is likely to continue till Aug next year. The rate of evaporation of water is fast from the dams.