Rajasthan: Jalore farmers demand release of Narmada canal water into river

Jaipur, Jul 17 (PTI) Farmers in Rajasthan's Jalore district on Friday demanded that water from the Narmada canal be released into the Bandi river to address the region's chronic drinking water and irrigation crisis, warning of an agitation if their demands are not met. Under the banner of the Bandi Nadi Bachao Sangharsh Samiti, farmers and villagers submitted a memorandum to the Bhinmal Sub-Divisional Magistrate, raising five key demands, including the release of Narmada water into the river, reduction in the height of the Sindhara dam and immediate measures to improve drinking water supply in the area. The committee claimed that nearly 120 villages in the Bandi river basin have been facing severe water scarcity due to the disruption of the river's natural flow following the construction of the Sindhara dam in 2006. Committee convenor and farmers' leader Shravan Singh Rathore alleged that although the dam was filled several times over the past two decades, its water had neither been utilised for irrigation nor for drinking water supply. He claimed that groundwater levels in downstream villages had fallen sharply, aggravating water scarcity and affecting agriculture and livestock. The memorandum urged the state government to release untreated Narmada canal water into the Bandi river during the four monsoon months through an existing pipeline near Bharudi village, saying that it would help recharge groundwater without imposing any significant additional financial burden on the government. The farmers also demanded that the height of the Sindhara dam be reduced from 45 feet to 22 feet and that new gates be installed to ensure regulated downstream flow during the monsoon. Rathore warned that if the government failed to take a positive decision on the demands, farmers would meet on July 29 to finalise the strategy for a mass agitation. PTI SDA RUK RUK