Maharashtra releases 1 TMC feet of water to help North Karnataka

BELAGAVI: Acting on the state government's appeal, Maharashtra on Tuesday released one TMC feet water from Koyna dam to the river Krishna to help local authorities supply water to drought-hit areas.

According to sources in Irrigation department, water released by Maharashtra will be able to help avoid a crisis in drought-hit areas on the border only if another TMC feet of water follows within the next one or two days.

However, sources feel it is impossible to ensure release of another TMC feet of water by Maharashtra government within such a  short span of time. MLA from Kudchi assembly segment, P Rajeev urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at a meeting held in Belagavi on Monday to ensure release of additional water to Krishna from Maharashtra within one or two days  while stating that the water released by Maharashtra will reach the   tail-end of Krishna river in drought-hit areas in Kudchi and Raibag belt only if more water is released quickly.

As per water sharing agreement between the two states, Maharashtra is supposed to release 4 TMC feet of water to Krishna river every April-May while Karnataka will release 4 TMC feet of water from Almatti dam to Maharashtra once the dam is full.

Until the onset of monsoon, all drought-hit areas of north-Karnataka including Bagalkot, Vijayapura and Belagavi will be facing water crisis if Maharashtra failed to release all the 4 TMC feet of water to the river Krishna over the next two weeks.