Members of various farmers organisations staged a protest in Hukkeri on Monday, against the diversion of water from Hidkal dam to the industrial area in Dharwad.
They raised slogans against the State government and demanded that the work on laying pipelines from Hidkal to Dharwad be stopped immediately.
They said that the State government has taken a unilateral decision to supply water from the dam to Dharwad, without consulting the local irrigation consultative committee.
“This will decrease the impounding capacity of the dam which can lead to water scarcity in Belagavi, Bagalkot and several villages. It will also reduce water to the fields in several taluks. The primary objective of an irrigation project is to supply water to fields and not industries,” the former Minister Shashikant Naik said.
He warned of a district-wide protest if the work is not stopped immediately.
The farmers submitted a memorandum to the State government.
Published – June 24, 2025 10:07 pm IST
