The areca growers of Shivamogga and the paddy growers of Davangere district are divided over the release of water from Bhadra reservoir at Lakkavalli in Chikkamagaluru district for irrigation purposes.
The paddy growers want the release of sufficient water, while the areca growers want the government to stop the release of water to protect their gardens in the coming summer. Farmers in both districts have been staging protests with their respective demands for the past few days.
Farmers in Shivamogga want the release of water stopped immediately. They staged a protest in front of the office of the Executive Engineer of the Bhadra Reservoir Project on Tuesday as well. However, on the other hand, the paddy growers in Davangere have been staging protests for the past few days, opposing any move to stop the water.
