Activists and farmers’ leaders complained that the state government released more than double the amount of water than it was determined for the industry from the Hidkal dam in the Belagavi district.
The Ministry of irrigation on the basis of the requests of the Ministry of Industry has issued over 0.229 TMCFT. Ghataprabha river waters for industry, against allocation 0.1 TMCFT. Water from Raja Lakhamagouda. The complete reservoir capacity is 51 TMCFT.
The reaction of the government became important after the reports that the Ministry of Industry has acquired another 0.5 TMCFT. Water from the dam to the industrial area of Dharwad.
The application to the right to information activists Sujit Mulgund revealed that it has issued “excess water” to the industry from the government’s government. “This is legally and ethically bad. While the rule says only 0.1 TMCFT. It should be set aside for the industry. Secondly, the cities of Belagavi, Bagaltot and the route are dependent on the Hidkal dam for drinking water.
“The state government also acted in an undemocratic manner by not finding out, the local irrigation counseling committee of the Hidkal dam, deciding to release water into industries,” he said. This dam was not built in favor of only a few industries. His primary task is to support poor countryside, Mr. Mulgund said. “The state government violated national water policy in 2011, which prefers drinking water and agriculture, over industrial use,” he added.
Farmers’ delegation led by former Minister Shashikant Naik urged the state government not to draw water from Hidkal for the industrial area of Dharwad. Another team led by B. Anand Kumar, an advocate Nitin Tolbandi, Mr. Mulgund and others suggested that treated waste water from Belagavi and Dharwada could be used for industrial purposes rather than drinking water from dams.
Mr. Naik said that they were again referring to the state government to stop the supply of Ghataprabha waters to industrial areas. “If the government does not listen to us, protest and stop work on water supply,” he said.
The Hidkal dam, founded in 1961, was meant exclusively for irrigation and drinking water. It is named after Raja Lakhamagoud, the former head of the local princely state and philanthropist, who donated land and resources to several educational institutions in British India.
Published – June 20, 2025 20:31 is
