Maharashtra will move SC if Karnataka goes ahead with plan to raise Almatti Dam height: Fadnavis

On Tuesday, the Karnataka cabinet approved a compensation package for land acquisition under the UKP-3 project

Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said the state government will move the Supreme Court if Karnataka proceeds with its plan to raise the height of the Almatti Dam. His statement comes just days after Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah reiterated his government’s commitment to raising the dam’s height as part of the Upper Krishna Project (UKP-3).

Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said the state government will move the Supreme Court if Karnataka proceeds with its plan to raise the height of the Almatti Dam. (HT)

Speaking to reporters in Pune, Fadnavis said, “Maharashtra has consistently opposed this proposal. If needed, we will file a petition in the Supreme Court against the Karnataka government.” Maharashtra’s primary concern is that increasing the dam’s height could lead to flooding in border districts such as Sangli and Kolhapur, which lie downstream of the Almatti reservoir.

On Tuesday, the Karnataka cabinet approved a compensation package for land acquisition under the UKP-3 project. Farmers will be offered ₹40 lakh per acre for irrigated land and ₹30 lakh per acre for dry land.

The proposal involves raising the dam height from 519 metres to 524 metres, increasing storage capacity by 100 TMC ft. To implement this, the Karnataka government will need to acquire 1.33 lakh acres of land, of which over 75,000 acres will be submerged due to the expansion.

Following the cabinet meeting, CM Siddaramaiah urged the Union government to issue a gazette notification to facilitate the project’s execution.

The Almatti Dam, built on the Krishna River, has long been a point of contention between the two states, with Maharashtra expressing repeated concerns over downstream impacts and the broader ecological consequences of increasing the reservoir’s capacity.

While Karnataka argues that the expansion is crucial for meeting its agricultural and water supply needs in northern districts, Maharashtra insists that any such move must undergo thorough environmental and inter-state impact assessments.

As the matter gains political traction, all eyes are now on the Centre’s response and whether the issue will reach the Supreme Court in the coming weeks.