Dams have water till May-end, dead storage may be used later

Water levels in all reservoirs of the state are fast depleting, and the government has announced that water will last only till the end of May.

Water Resources Minister M B Patil told the media in Bengaluru on Thursday that the situation might worsen if the monsoon fail this year too.

If such a situation were to arise, then the government will meet the drinking water needs by pumping water from the dead storage.

He said that water boards had been directed to supply water on a staggered basis, to ensure judicious utilisation.

“Come June, if the rains fail, the situation will worsen. It will be ideal if BWSSB and other water supply boards stagger the supply of water,” said Patil.

He said Maharashtra had fulfilled Karnataka’s demand and had supplied 1 tmc ft of water from Ujjani dam. The government has sought an additional 1 tmc ft of water from Maharashtra, but the neighbouring state had said that it might be difficult to provide the same. Patil said that Karnataka would appeal once again. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah would submit a petition shortly to Maharashtra.

Mekedatu project

Patil also said that the department was on the verge of finalising the detailed project report for the Mekedatu balancing reservoir project. The project proposal would be submitted to the Centre next month.

The department will also submit a proposal for the expansion of the Tungabhadra reservoir.

Telangana’s appeal

The Telangana government has requested Karnataka to release 3 tmc ft of water from the Narayanpura dam.

Telangana state too is facing severe drought conditions. A three-member ministerial delegation led by the Telangana minister for Irrigation, Marketing and Legislative Affairs, T Harish Rao, met Patil and submitted a memorandum to him to this effect.
Patil has promised to consider the demand on humanitarian grounds.

“I will discuss the matter with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the officials concerned. A decision will be taken soon after assessing the availability of water and the requirement of the state,” he said.

He said people of Karnataka too were facing severe shortage of drinking water and the government was making concerted efforts to mitigate the problem.