Farmers, policy-makers and experts should work towards increasing awareness about the economic use of water for irrigation, the former chief engineer and Public Works Secretary G.C. Tallur said in Dharwad on October 24.
He stressed the need for disciplined water management, efficient utilisation of allocated river water, and equitable distribution to address the challenges of inter-State water sharing.
He was delivering the keynote address at an interaction on inter-State sharing of water of Mahadayi and Malaprabha rivers. The event was jointly organised by the National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM), SEPAK Karnataka, Eco Watch, Sarvodaya Samaj Gandhi Peace Foundation, and Hubballi-Dharwad Nagarika Parisara Samiti.
Mr. Tallur said inter-State water allocations had already been determined for Krishna, Cauvery, and Godavari river basins. Karnataka’s share from these river systems could support irrigation across a substantial proportion of the State’s cultivable land.
“Karnataka has a geographical area of about 190 lakh hectares, of which nearly 128 lakh hectares are under cultivation. Various river water tribunals had determined the quantum of water allocated to the respective riparian States that was enough to meet the requirements of each State, provided the farmers did not grow water guzzling crops. It is now the responsibility of each State to utilise its allocated share judiciously and manage the resource efficiently,” he said.
“However, effective water distribution remains a major challenge, particularly given the large number of small and marginal farmers. The expansion of water-intensive crops, such as sugarcane, banana, and paddy, has further increased irrigation demand. With monsoon patterns becoming increasingly erratic, farmers need to make cropping decisions based on prevailing rainfall conditions and water availability,” he said.
Farmer leader Shankar Ambli, meanwhile, criticised the priorities of the government of Karnataka in allocating water, questioning its reluctance to release five thousand million cubic feet (TMC) of water to farmers for agricultural production while, he alleged, 15 TMC was being supplied to meet the cooling requirements of AI data centres.
Mr. Ambli expressed concern that technological expansion was placing additional pressure on water resources. He accused environmental activists of applying different standards to agricultural and industrial water use, arguing that water releases for irrigation were often opposed even as large-scale water consumption for technology infrastructure was considered essential.
He criticised environmental groups for opposing development projects, urging them to adopt a more balanced approach that takes farmers’ livelihood concerns and agricultural water requirements into account.
Environmental activists Nirmala Gouda, Sanjiv Kulkarni, Suresh Heblikar, and Mahima Patil were among those present. Representatives of farmers’ organisations, water-resource experts, and environmental activists from Karnataka, Goa, and Maharashtra participated in the interaction.
Published – October 26, 2026 11:38 am IST
