Maharashtra to suffer more if water not released to K’taka: Farmer leaders

Hitting back at Maharashtra minister Shambhuraj Desai statement that the state would reconsider releasing water to Karnataka amid the border dispute, farmer leaders on Thursday said Maharashtra will “suffer more losses” if water is not released during the rainy season

Hitting back at Maharashtra minister Shambhuraj Desai statement that the state would reconsider releasing water to Karnataka amid the border dispute, farmer leaders on Thursday said Maharashtra will “suffer more losses” if water is not released during the rainy season.

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Krishna river, the lifeline of north Karnataka, which overflows during rainy season dries up every summer for which Maharashtra releases 2tmcft water from its Koyna reservoir, people aware of the matter said.

Similarly, Karnataka releases the same quantity of water to Maharashtra’s Solhapur district from the Alamatti reservoir in Bagalkot district.

Koyna, the largest reservoir in Maharashtra’s Satara district, with 105tmcft water storage capacity, is full by second or third week of September every year. However, Krishna river in Maharashtra’s Sahyadri forest stretch overflows in July for which reservoirs, barrages and other water storage places turn full. As a result, Maharashtra releases water to Krishna river in Karnataka to avoid floods in Sangli, Ichalkaranji and Kolhapur districts, said people quoted above.

Many prominent engineers have time and again expressed concerns over the safety of Koyna reservoir and suggested to never keep it to its full capacity for which Maharashtra releases water when its storage limit nears 100tmcft.

“Even our state can say no. But Maharashtra is the one asking us to take water,” the Raith Sangh in Athani taluk of district said.

People residing on the banks of Krishna river in Belagavi district said that Maharashtra should think practically about minister Desai’s threat.

“Every year, we are losing our crop and property to the floods in Krishna in neighbouring Maharashtra due to which we suffer losses worth crores. Leaving everything, we have to shift to safer places for months together during every flood. Since it is a natural process we never blame Maharashtra nor Karnataka,” farmer Rudragouda Hulagabali from the Athani taluk said.

Reacting to Desai’s threat, a farmer leader from Raibag taluk, Mahesh Patil, termed the remark as childish.

“Let Maharashtra act according to its minister and experience the fact. Half of their southern part would maroon if Karnataka kept the crest gates of Alamatti reservoir closed when Krishna swells,” he added.

Siddagouda Modagi, the president of Belagavi district sugarcane growers’ association said that Maharashtra has warned of rethinking of releasing water but they would beg Karnataka to cooperate and keep the crest gates of the Alamatti dam open till August.

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