Upper Bhadra water release takes on electoral connotation in Karnataka

Farmers and Congress leaders at a meeting in Sira demanding release of water and early completion of Tumakuru branch canal of Upper Bhadra project. | Photo credit: special arrangement

As the ruling Congress released water from the Chitradurga branch canal of the Upper Bhadra Project (UBP) ahead of the Hiriyur assembly polls, farmers in Tumakuru district intensified their agitation and demanded that the government expedite the ongoing canal work and release water into the Tumakuru branch canal to fill the reservoirs in the district.

Elections to the South East Graduate constituency, which covers Chitradurga and parts of Davangere, are believed to have been scheduled for October 23, prompting the authorities to release water from the Bhadra reservoir into the Chitradurga diversion canal.

Not yet announced

The Election Commission of India is yet to announce the schedule for the Hiriyur bypoll, which was prompted by the death of former minister D. Sudhakar. However, the decision to release water into the Chitradurga diversion canal on an experimental basis from September 6 has already sparked a political debate, with opposition parties saying the move is aimed at influencing voters ahead of the elections.

Janata Dal (Secular) youth wing chief Nikhil Kumaraswamy last week criticized farmers in Chitradurga after he described the release of water in a canal ahead of elections as a “gimmick”.

However, the decision disappointed farmers in drought-prone parts of Tumakuru district, including Chikkanayakanahalli, Sira, Madhugiri and Pavagada. Farmers associated with the Raitha Sangha staged a protest at Sira and other places and submitted a memorandum to the Executive Engineer of the UBP, demanding that water be released into the Tumakuru branch canal wherever the work was completed and that the pending work be expedited.

District-based Congress leader Muralidhar Halappa, who held meetings and led the protest, said farmers in Tumakuru had been waiting for years to get water from the project to fill reservoirs in the region.

Farmers and Congress leaders from the district met Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and sought the release of water to the completed sections of the canal (53 km) to fill the reservoirs at Sira and Chikkanayakanahalli. However, on learning, Mr. Shivakumar asked them to wait and pointed out that the project required additional funds to complete the remaining works.

From January 2027

According to project officials, Tunga water is expected to be experimentally pumped into the Bhadra reservoir from January 2027. The 134 km long Chitradurga canal is expected to be completed by January 2027, while the 159 km long Tumakuru canal is expected to be completed in 2028.

The UBP was mooted decades ago, but work only started more than two decades ago and progressed slowly due to land acquisition, deforestation, financial constraints, cost escalation, compensation and delays in clearing supplier invoices.

The UBP envisages using 29.9 tmcft of water to provide irrigation to about 2.25 lakh hectares in the drought prone areas of Chikkamagaluru, Chitradurga, Tumakuru and Davangere and fill 367 reservoirs.

The cost of the project rose from the original ₹7,000 crore to over ₹23,000 crore. The ₹5,300 crore promised by the Center is yet to be released as Karnataka continues to push for national project status for the UBP.

Published – 13 Oct 2026 06:01 IST