Karnataka government to raise Almatti dam height

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government, which is keen on completing the ongoing projects  in the Krishna and Cauvery basins, has decided to seek a legal opinion on whether it can issue a gazette.

Speaking to reporters here on Monday, water resources minister, M.B. Patil said that the government was weighing its options and would consult counsel Fali Nariman before taking a call on the issue.

Recalling that the government had issued a gazette notification on Cauvery basin projects even while a Special Leave Petition was still pending in the SC, he said it would make sure the state’s interests were not compromised if took similar action with these projects. “We will act only after getting a green signal from Mr Nariman,” he added.

As for the creation of Telangana, Mr Patil said he did not think it would result in one more inter-state water dispute for Karnataka. “The Supreme Court has already given its verdict on sharing of the Krishna river waters. Now Andhra Pradesh’s share will be divided between Telangana and Seemandhra. Karnataka will have nothing to do with that. But should the two states’ claims affect its interests, the state will react,’ he asserted.

The minister was apprehensive about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet project of linking the Ganga and Cauvery rivers. “I am not an expert on the issue. But I have gone through various reports which say that while in some places, it could be helpful, in others it could result in ecological disaster. We need to be careful when implementing the project,” he warned, noting that it will have to take into account the various inter-state river water sharing disputes as well.

“The Centre should take care to ensure that each state’s right over the water is protected. The project should not be taken up without consulting all the states,” he insisted.

“We are meanwhile trying to make optimum use of water from the Krishna basin by completing pending work and modernising and desilting existing canals. We are using technology provided by a foregin company on trial basis to reduce silting in one reservoir each of the Krishna and Cauvery basins. If the pilot project is successful, it will help improve storage in the reservoirs,” the minister said.