Amid soaring temperature, villagers along Krishna river wait for Maharashtra to release water

The Krishna river, which is the lifeline of northern parts of the state, has started drying up due to soaring temperature, officials familiar with the matter said, adding that this used to usually happen in May.

The drying of the river has mostly affected Bagalkot, Vijaypura and Yadagiri districts in Kalyan Karnataka region. “Kalyan Karnataka receives very less rainfall and is totally dependent on the Krishna river. With the river getting completely dried in April this year, all our crops have dried,” Siddarayappa Koravi, a small farmer from Yadgir in Kalyan Karnataka region, said.

He said the villagers, however, do not face a shortage of drinking water as government supplies water through tankers once in 15-days that last for the next supplying. “We go for field only till the water was in the river and it was our yearly break when the river gets dried,” he added.

In a letter to Maharastra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on April 1, chief minister Siddaramaiah urged him to release 2 tmcft of water from Koyana and 1 tmcft from Varana reservoirs to Krishna river in Karnataka.

According to an official in the Karnataka government, the Maharashtra government has not yet responded to Siddaramaiah’s letter due to which 13 districts in Kittur and Kalyan Karnataka regions suffering both drinking water and irrigation water crises. The Maharashtra chief minister’s office told HT that the water resources department looking after the issue

“Instead of just writing letter, the Karnatak government must take an all party delegation to Maharashtra to pressurise CM Fadnavis to get done the work. Just writing a letter is an eye washing technic of the government, if its really has concerns for our region must act practically,” Siddagouda Modagi, Karnataka state Krushika Samaj president, said.

PWD minister Satish Jarkiholi, who is also in-charge of Belagavi district, said he has appealed CM Siddaramaiah to attended immediately to the water requirements of the region. “Hope the CM may settle the matter before the things go worst,” he said.

Meanwhile, the situation in Athani, Chikkodi and Raibag taluks, situated on the Krishna river bank, has sufficient water for crops as well for daily use due to Hipparagi barrage that provide water during summer.

From 2004 to 2014, Maharashtra used to release total three tmcft of water from Koyana and Varana reservoirs for which it used to charge ₹2 crore per tmcft. In 2015, both states signed a MoU exchanging water for water under which Karnataka would release three tmcft of water from Tubachi - Babaleshwar reservoir to Jat taluk in Solhapur district and Maharashtra would release the same quantity of water from Koyana and Varana reservoirs to Krishna river every year during April and May. “As part of the project, underground pipelines were to be laid for 30 km from the reservior to Jat taluk. The estimated cost of the project was ₹300 crore in 2016 that has reached to nearly ₹1,000 crore now,” irrigation expert Ashok Chandargi said.