Hemavati water project: Tension brews between Tumakuru and Bengaluru South

Hans India

a day ago

Ramanagara: A major rift has emerged between Bengaluru South and Tumakuru districts over the Hemavati water project, leading to rising tensions on the ground. Farmers in Gubbi taluk's Sankapura in Tumakuru district staged a protest at the project site, defying prohibitory orders imposed by the district administration. This has triggered a tense situation around the construction area.
Public representatives and farmers from Tumakuru have thrown a direct challenge to the state government, stating 'let's settle this once and for all.' Much like the ongoing disputes between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over Cauvery water, this intra-state water sharing issue is intensifying with protests and opposition from both sides.
The project aims to supply water from the Hemavati River in Hassan district to Magadi through the nala (canal) belt. The state government had issued an order in 2019 for water sharing to taluks under this belt. However, a nala construction to divert Hemavati water to Magadi via Kunigal had already been completed nearly a decade ago—but water never flowed through it.
In 2018, then Water Resources Minister D.K. Shivakumar proposed supplying water to Magadi through the Express Canal. The project was later stalled. Now, back as the irrigation minister, Shivakumar has revived the project, increasing the cost from ₹468 crore to ₹1,000 crore. The project, already underway, plans to tap water at the 78th km point and channel it to Magadi using gravitational force. However, the project has met immediate resistance from Tumakuru locals. Farmers argue that despite spending crores on the open nala, it remains unused due to lack of water. Some say that water could still be pumped through the nala instead of laying expensive pipelines for the Express Canal project. Pipes are currently being laid alongside highways under this scheme.
Tumakuru stakeholders say that the Hemavati River from Gorur reservoir is meant to supply 24 TMC of water annually to the district, but that has never been fulfilled. The new project aims to divert water via pipeline from Sankapura (Gubbi) through Kunigal to Magadi, which farmers fear will bypass Tumakuru's share.
They demand water be routed through the natural canal system via Gubbi and Kunigal rather than large steel pipelines, which they believe will deprive Tumakuru of Hemavati water. The situation is further complicated by the political prestige attached to the project. Earlier, credit wars erupted between current and former MLAs over water being supplied to certain Magadi lakes under the 'Sri Ranga' scheme. Now, similar political undercurrents surround the revived Hemavati Express Canal project.
Ramanagara leaders assert that water from Hemavati is not needed across the district, only for Magadi. Tumakuru's argument is that Hemavati water must not be redirected unscientifically via the Express Canal, potentially causing scarcity in their region. 'Let the government supply us just drinking water—no irrigation water needed,' they say.
Amid this, even as soil work begins on the Express Canal, Tumakuru's in-charge minister remains silent, raising questions about the state's commitment to fair water distribution. Irrigation experts too have yet to express a clear opinion. The Hemavati Express Canal project, intended to ease water woes in Magadi, has now become a flashpoint between two districts. With political posturing, bureaucratic silence, and farmer agitation rising, the real question remains—will Hemavati water ever reach Magadi, or drown in yet another water war?