Belagavi, 19 June

The Krishna River, a major irrigation source for northern Karnataka, has run dry, raising the possibility of drinking water shortages in the taluks of Athani, Chikkodi, Raybag and Kagawad in Belagavi district.

Every summer, Maharashtra releases around 2 TMC ft of water into the Krishna, which also runs through Andhra Pradesh, benefiting districts in the Kittur, Karnataka and Kalyana Karnataka regions. This arrangement has been in place for several years.

However, water availability in the Koyna Reservoir, from which Maharashtra usually releases water, has declined significantly this year as the State grapples with a water crisis. The reservoir, Maharashtra’s largest, has a storage capacity of 105 TMC ft (thousand million cubic feet), but its current storage is considerably lower than usual.

However, the Hippargi Reservoir, which supplies water to the Krishna basin taluks, currently has only 0.08 TMC ft of water in storage, Belagavi Deputy Commissioner Mohammed Roshan told reporters on Friday. However, he noted that the Hidkal and Malaprabha reservoirs have sufficient reserves to meet drinking water requirements until 20 July. The district administration is also prepared to supply safe drinking water through tankers if required, he added.

Roshan said that Chief Minister DK Shivakumar is likely to discuss the issue with Maharashtra counterpart Devendra Fadnvis on Sunday, and request that Mumbai releases the 2 TMC ft into the Krishna River.