Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has promised a water guarantee for farmers during the state’s drought conditions and said the government would work to ensure that water reaches drought-affected areas. He made the assurance at a farmers’ organisations’ felicitation event in Chitradurga after water was released into the Chitradurga branch canal of the Bhadra project, according to a report by Prajavani published on September 25.
Shivakumar said the Congress government would provide support to farmers and work to put capital in their hands. He also referred to a special session that he said was being held for this purpose. The report did not provide details of the proposed water guarantee, including its coverage, funding, delivery mechanism or implementation timeline.
The Bhadra water release is linked to the Bhadra Upper Project, which is intended to supply water to parts of central Karnataka. Speaking at the event, Shivakumar said the project’s blueprint had been prepared during the S.M. Krishna-led Congress government. He said water had now been brought to the people of Chitradurga, while acknowledging that some work on the project remained incomplete.
The chief minister said he would continue to address the demands of farmers in the region if he remained in office. The statement was made in the context of the ongoing project work and did not specify which components were still pending, how much construction remained or when the outstanding work would be completed.
Shivakumar also alleged that Karnataka had not received any amount from the ₹5,300 crore allocation announced by the Union government in its budget. The report attributed the allegation to him but did not provide details of the allocation, the release schedule or the state government’s correspondence on the matter. He criticised BJP leaders, including R. Ashoka, Basavaraj Bommai and Chitradurga MP Govind Karjol, over the issue.
The chief minister said the government had decided that river water should not be wasted and should instead be supplied to drought-affected regions. He also said the government was considering river-linking measures. The report did not specify the rivers, projects, technical design, environmental assessment or financing model involved in that proposal.
On the Cauvery dispute, Shivakumar said Karnataka would release water to Tamil Nadu in accordance with the Supreme Court’s decision when water was available. He added that protecting farmers’ interests during periods of deficient rainfall was the state’s responsibility and said the matter would be presented to the Cauvery Water Management Authority.
The event also included an appeal for support for the Congress candidate in the forthcoming by-election to the Hiriyur Assembly constituency, which became vacant after the death of D. Sudhakar, whom Shivakumar described as a close friend. He said there was a proposal to name a section of the Bhadra canal after Sudhakar. No decision or formal notification on the proposal was reported.
