The Karnataka Irrigation Advisory Committee has approved a phased water-release schedule for the Tungabhadra project and Vijayanagara canals to support 2026-27 monsoon crops and drinking-water needs, while reserving available reservoir water to refill tanks ahead of summer amid reduced inflows.
The decision was taken at the 127th Irrigation Advisory Committee meeting held at Vikas Soudha in Bengaluru under the chairmanship of Shivraj S. Thangadagi, Minister for Backward Classes Welfare, Kannada and Culture, and Koppal district in-charge minister. Legislators, Legislative Council members, deputy commissioners and farmer representatives participated in the discussions, according to Prajavani.
The Tungabhadra Left Bank Main Canal will receive 3,800 cusecs from October 21 to November 20. This allocation includes a saving of 200 cusecs from the Ganekal division, which will also be used to supply water to the canals.
For the Tungabhadra Right Bank High-Level Canal, 1,000 cusecs will be released from October 21 to 24. The supply will then be stopped from October 25 to 31 before resuming from November 1 to 20 at 1,280 cusecs for 20 days, or until available water is exhausted.
The Tungabhadra Right Bank Low-Level Canal will receive 650 cusecs from October 21 to November 20, subject to water availability. The schedule for the Raya Basavanna Canal provides for 180 cusecs from October 21 until May 31, 2027, with water supplied for 10 days followed by a 10-day stoppage cycle, depending on reservoir conditions.
The Vijayanagara Left Bank canals will receive 60 cusecs from October 21 until May 10, 2027, also subject to available water. The staggered schedules indicate that canal operations will be managed according to reservoir levels rather than through an uninterrupted release across all command areas.
The committee cited inadequate rainfall and lower inflows into the Tungabhadra reservoir in its assessment of the available water. The meeting also considered the reported impact of El Niño conditions. Officials said the water currently available must be set aside both for monsoon-season crops and for filling tanks needed to meet drinking-water requirements during the coming summer.
The Karnataka Irrigation Corporation’s superintendent engineer appealed to farmers to understand the water shortage and cooperate with the irrigation department. The authority’s request comes as the approved schedules make several releases conditional on water availability, while the Raya Basavanna Canal will operate through an alternating supply-and-shutdown pattern.
The immediate operational milestone is the implementation of the approved releases from October 21. The next scheduled periods run through November 20 for the main Tungabhadra canals, May 10, 2027, for the Vijayanagara Left Bank canals and May 31, 2027, for the Raya Basavanna Canal.
