Kanakapura Farmers Face Severe Crisis Amid Stalled Irrigation Projects and Lake Encroachments

Farmers across Kanakapura taluk in Karnataka are facing severe distress due to an escalating water crisis, failing lift irrigation projects, and unaddressed lake encroachments. Despite being a politically prominent taluk that has sent top leaders to state governance, local agricultural communities continue to grapple with acute water scarcity. While the Harobele dam project has provided relief to silk farmers in select pockets, large parts of the taluk remain deprived of reliable irrigation. Local agriculturalists point out that multiple promised water schemes have stalled, leaving fields parched and groundwater levels depleting rapidly. The long-awaited Mekedatu balancing reservoir project remains unrealized, while key lift irrigation schemes have failed to deliver water to dry agrarian belts. Compounding the situation, traditional lakes and tanks across Kanakapura have suffered extensive illegal encroachments, sharply reducing their water retention capacity. As borewells run dry across villages, residents and farmers are increasingly forced to depend on polluted water drawn from the Arkavathi river for basic needs. Local farmer organizations have urged the district administration and state irrigation authorities to take immediate measures to desilt local water bodies, clear encroachments, and restore non-functional lift irrigation networks before the agrarian crisis deepens further.