Kannada organisations urge State to object Maharashtra govt.’s plan to build new reservoir in Kolhapur district
Kannada organisations have urged the Karnataka government to file objections to the Maharashtra government’s plan to build a new reservoir on the Krishna river in
Kannada organisations have urged the Karnataka government to file objections to the Maharashtra government’s plan to build a new reservoir on the Krishna river in Kolhapur district, saying it would reduce discharge into the State. “Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced in Ichalkaranji recently that he has accorded administrative sanction to a new dam under the Radha Krishna irrigation project. The dam will utilise around 4 tmcft of water from the Krishna river.
This will reduce discharge into Karnataka by that much and inflow into the Hippargi barrage and the Almatti dam will be reduced. This needs to be stopped. The upper riparian States cannot announce any new plans on inter-State rivers, without consulting lower riparian States. This is not only a violation of principles of inter-State river water-sharing, but also a violation of the principles of justice,’’ Ashok Chandargi, convenor of the central committee of Kannada organisations, said in a letter to Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.
The Maharashtra government has been obstructing the issuance of the final decision of the Krishna Tribunal in the Gazette since 2013. Maharashtra has not cooperated with Karnataka even for drinking water projects. The Radhakrishna project has been formulated with the aim of providing drinking water to Ichchalakranji town in Kolhapur district. If this project is implemented, enough water will not flow to the Kallola Barrage in Chikkodi. Also, hundreds of villages on the banks of Krishna will face water scarcity.
The Karnataka government cannot sit silently. It should raise its strong objection to the Radhakrishna project, he stated. It is difficult to understand why Maharashtra is not considering utilising waters of the Panchganga river that flows right next to Ichchalakarnji. The Karnataka government should warn Maharashtra against escalating the existing river dispute, Mr. Chandargi stated in the letter.
The BriefWire