North Karnataka drought: CM Siddaramiah urges Maharashtra govt to release water

Karnataka’s Chief Minister Siddaramaiah reached out to his counterpart in Maharashtra, Eknath Shinde, urging for the release of water from the Warna/Koyna Dam into the Krishna and Bhima Rivers to address the pressing water needs in northern Karnataka.

Specifically, Siddaramaiah requested the immediate release of 2.00 TMC of water from the Warna/Koyna reservoir to the Krishna River and 1.00 TMC of water from the Ujjani reservoir to the Bhima River.

In his letter to Shinde, the Karnataka CM said the monsoon season is still far away and there is no chance of any rainfall in the coming months. “Presently, the Northern Districts of Karnataka are facing severe drought situation due to failure of monsoons. The storages of reservoirs have depleted substantially which is insufficient to meet the domestic needs of human and livestock. The monsoon season is quite far and there be no chance of any likely rainfall in the coming months before the onset of monsoon,” Karnataka CM wrote.

He also expressed his gratitude to the Maharashtra government for releasing water to the state on several previous occasions. “On earlier occasions, during the summer seasons, the government of Maharashtra had responded positively to the release of water from the Krishna River to meet the drinking water needs of human beings and livestock. The (Government of Karnataka hereby conveys sincere thanks to the State of Maharashtra,” he added.

The state is facing a severe water crisis, with drought-like conditions resulting in a dip in reservoir levels. The state capital, Bengaluru, is grappling with a shortage of 500 million litres per day (MLD), Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said after reviewing water supply in the city at a meeting on Monday.

The current requirement for drinking water as well as commercial use in Bengaluru is 2,600 MLD, of which 1,450 MLD is being pumped from the Cauvery river, he said, adding that about 650 MLD was available from borewells, leading to a shortage of 500 MLD water in the city. Necessary measures have been put in place to overcome this shortage, he said.

“We have enough storage of drinking water in the Cauveri and Kabini. Sufficient water is available till the end of June. There is 11.02 TMC water storage in KRS (Krishna Raja Sagara) and 9.02 TMC in Kabini,” Siddaramaiah stated.

(With ANI inputs)