Kali river project draws widespread flak in valley

Works underway at Haalmaddi to supply Kali river water to Alnavar town through massive pipelines for a 24/7 drinking water scheme.

The state government’s proposal in the 2022-23 Budget on drawing Kali river water to meet drinking water needs of five north Karnataka districts has met with stiff opposition in the valley.

The people in the Kali river valley have expressed their anguish over the proposed project saying that many villages in the valley, including Ramanagar in Joida taluk where people displaced by Supa dam are rehabilitated, were reeling under severe drinking water crisis. If such is the case what is the need to divert river water to far off places, ask villagers and local activists.

“Address the drinking water problem in the river valley before diverting it to meet the needs of other districts,” said D Samson, DYFO district secretary, also the former Dandeli CMC member.

“River water is a national asset and no one can claim ownership or deprive others... But there should be equitable distribution. First address the water woes of the villages/towns in the valley before meeting the needs of other districts. The government should release special grants to provide adequate water to rehab areas in the valley,” he urged.

“Many villages located between Diggi and Sadashivgadh in the river valley are facing severe shortage of drinking water. How do you address the water woes in the valley if the river goes dry,” questions Ravi Redkar, convener, Kali Brigade.

Mohan Halawayi, CMC member, Dandeli, said “Two factories in Dandeli have become defunct. Only the paper mill is functioning. People in the town and nearby villages are depending on tourism for survival. The elected representatives, across party lines, should ensure that the Kali river water is not diverted.”

Also, the power generation at hydroelectricity plants at Supa, Nagajhari and Kadra dams will be hit if the river water is diverted, the CMC member added.

Dandeli taluk creation committee office-bearer Roshan Chitravali has sternly opposed the project saying it unscientific and unsustainable. “The project is untenable. Huge quantity of river water is being supplied to a sugar mill in Halyal. This apart, one-and-a-half metres wide pipes have been laid to draw water from Kali to Halyal and Alnavar towns for 24/7 drinking water supply scheme in a hush-hush manner. Now, this ill-conceived project of diverting the river water to five parched districts of north Karnataka will only dry the river and will have an adverse impact on the biodiversity-rich Kali river valley,” Roshan Chitravali rued.

“We will approach the National Green Tribunal against the proposed Kali river water diversion project, if the state government goes ahead with it,” he warned.

The environmentalists and activists in the region fear that any intervention in the free flow of Kali river will enhance the soil salinity and thereby render thousands of acres of farmland uncultivable and make wells and underground water saline at the mouth of the river.

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