Farmers urge government to frame policy to desilt dams, water bodies in Karnataka

Over the last few years, farmers have been expressing concern that the storage position of reservoirs had reduced owing to silt deposition.

Members of State Federation of Farmers’ Association and Sugarcane Cultivators’ Association urged the government to frame a policy to desilt dams and water bodies in Karnataka.

Association president Kurubur Shanthakumar and others met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in Bengaluru on September 10. They submitted a memorandum urging him to conceive such a policy on a priority basis.

Mr. Shanthakumar said the silt can be distributed to farmers for use as manure and Karnataka can emulate the government of Telangana in this regard.

Over the last few years, farmers have been expressing concern that the storage position of reservoirs had reduced owing to silt deposition.

Though the government has been seized off the issue, it has been unable to overcome the challenge of dredging vast areas and disposing the silt. The Chief Minister, in his response to the farmers, said that the government will desilt 43 lakes and other water bodies in the first phase.

Mr. Shanthakumar also urged the Chief Minister to withdraw the contentious APMC (Amendment) Act and amendments to Karnataka State Land Reforms Act as they are perceived to be inimical to farmers with small and medium-size land holdings.

The association drew attention of Mr. Siddaramaiah to the ongoing exercise of seeding Aadhaar number of farmers with irrigation pump sets and urged him to stop the exercise. The farmers fear that this could be a precursor to imposing costs on them for the power used and deny them power subsidy.