Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has requested his Maharashtra counterpart Devendra Fadnavis to release water from Warna and Koyna reservoirs to Krishna River and from Ujjani reservoir to Bhima River to meet drinking water needs in North Karnataka regions.
In a letter to Mr Fadnavis on 1st of this month, the Congress leader highlighted that Belagavi, Vijayapura, Bagalkot, Kalaburagi, Yadagiri and Raichur districts in north Karnataka have been facing a severe shortage of drinking water due to depleted reservoirs since the beginning of March. Acknowledging the Maharashtra government’s support on such occasions in earlier years, he thanked them for releasing water to the Krishna river in the past as well to meet the drinking water needs of human beings and livestock.
The Chief Minister requested Mr. Fadnavis to direct the concerned authorities to release at least 2 tmc ft of water from Warna/Koyna reservoir to Krishna river and 1 tmc ft of water from Ujjini Reservoir to Bhima river to meet the immediate drinking water needs of both human beings and livestock of northern districts of Karnataka.
These districts have been facing severe shortage of drinking water since the beginning of March. On earlier occasions, during the summer seasons, the Maharashtra government had responded positively on the release of water from the Krishna to meet the drinking water needs of people and livestock, Mr. Siddaramaiah said, and thanked the Maharashtra CM.
On the current situation, the Karnataka Chief Minister said, “The situation is becoming more critical with the rising temperatures and the existing storage levels in the Hippargi Barrage and other local reservoirs are insufficient to cater to the drinking water needs of North Karnataka districts of Krishna Basin until the onset of the monsoon season in 2025.”