Allow Karnataka to raise height of Almatti dam, DK Shivakumar urges Centre

Bengaluru: Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday urged the Union government to immediately intervene and allow Karnataka to go ahead with raising the height of the Almatti dam (Upper Krishna Project Phase 3) from 518.60 metres to 524.256 metres.

“All three states – Andhra, Telangana and Maharashtra have opposed the project. However, the Andhra Pradesh government has written to the Centre asking it to refrain from giving any approval or gazette notification that allows Karnataka to carry out land acquisition for the proposed project stating the matter is pending before the Supreme Court. I did not expect Andhra Pradesh to react this way,” said Shivakumar, while adding that the union water resources secretary had sought Karnataka’s response.

Appealing to the Centre to act in accordance with earlier orders and not stall the project, Shivakumar, who is also water resources minister, maintained that the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II (KWDT-II) award permitted Karnataka to raise the dam to 524 metres and that there was no stay from the Supreme Court.

The DCM urged the state MPs to appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Jal Shakti minister in this regard, when the Parliament session begins on March 10. He also announced plans to lead an all-party delegation to Delhi.

“The Karnataka Cabinet, on September 16, 2025, decided to acquire 1.33 lakh acres of land in one phase and planned to allocate Rs 70,000 crore for land acquisition alone in three phases. Around Rs 20,000 crore has already been spent on the project and further delays would escalate costs. Also, land compensation has become a major burden, with courts awarding higher payouts after farmers rejected earlier offers of Rs 8–9 lakh per acre during the previous government. After deliberations, compensation isfixed in the range of Rs 35– Rs 40 lakh per acre, with some
awards touching Rs 10 crore through litigation,” said Shivakumar.

“A Central committee report clarified that raising the height to 524 metres would not cause floods in Maharashtra (Kolhapur),” he added.

“Our water our land. Further delay will only escalate costs,” he said, appealing to MPs from Karnataka to unite and press for the implementation of the tribunal award.