The Karnataka government is implementing a unique irrigation project in the district combining the advantages of lift irrigation and drip irrigation technologies, to prevent wastage of water.
The project will irrigate 9,900 hectares in 30 villages in the taluks of Shiggaon, Hanagal and Savanur of the district, besides feeding five big tanks in the command area.
A total of 1.5 tmc feet of water will be utilised under the project (1.35 tmc feet for irrigation and the rest to fill the tanks).
Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar is set to dedicate the project to the nation on November 9. The new method involves flowing river water through canals, pipelines and delivery chambers to the storage sumps near the fields.
The water is then sprinkled to the fields using drip irrigation technology as and when required, so that wastage of water is eliminated on the one hand and the fields also do not go without water when they need the most, due to unavailability.
The water will be lifted from the Varada and Dharma rivers using four pumps with a capacity of 10,616 HP each. The jackwell (pump station) will come up at Halasur near Savanur where the two rivers meet. The Rs 238-crore project will have canals up to 180 km, pipelines up to 11,600 km, six delivery chambers and 119 sumps (one for every 85 acres of land that will be irrigated).
Water is pumped to the fields from the sumps using two or three pumps of 10 HP each, through sprinkler pipelines. Tanks in the villages of Hale Bankapura, Shidlapura, Kalyana and Nidagundi of Shiggaon taluk and the Neeralagi tank in Hanagal taluk will be filled using the method.
The project will bring three-fourths of the two taluks under irrigation.
Minister for Water Resources Basavaraj Bommai says the project will be a boon to farmers in Shiggaon and Savanur taluks, listed among the most backward taluks of the State in the Nanjundappa committee report.