Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah wrote to his Maharashtra counterpart Eknath Shinde requesting to release six tmc of water; Maharashtra released too little.
Naviluteertha Dam: A harsh reminder of North Karnataka's water crisis as reservoir reaches critical levels in Belagavi. (supplied)
A delayed monsoon has led to an acute drinking water shortage in several North Karnataka districts. The fast-depleting water levels in reservoirs have added to the worries.
The Southwest Monsoon usually sets over Karnataka in the first week of June. “This year, the state witnessed the onset of monsoon on 8 June. Several places in Karnataka are receiving monsoon rains,” an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official told South First.
However, the Western Ghats are getting little rain, specifically in Maharashtra’s Koyna region, the catchment area of the major reservoirs in North Karnataka. Consequently, the water levels in the reservoirs are nearing their “dead storage” mark.
At least seven districts in North Karnataka, including Kalyana Karnataka, are facing water shortages.
Among the major water reservoirs, Hidkal, Navilutheertha, Almatti, and Tungabhadra dams recorded live storage of less than five thousand million cubic feet (tmc) on Monday, 12 June.
To address the water shortage, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah wrote to his Maharashtra counterpart Eknath Shinde on 31 May.
The Karnataka chief minister requested Maharashtra to release 3 tmc feet of water each from the Koyna and Ujjani reservoirs to rivers Krishna, and Bhima, respectively.
However, Maharashtra has so far released only 1,500 cusecs, far below the requested quantity of water.
As water levels continue to dip in most reservoirs, tankers are supplying drinking water in a some North Karnataka districts.
In cities such as Belagavi, Vijayapura, Gadag, Hubballi-Dharwad, and Koppal, water is being supplied once a week or 10 days apart.
Most reservoirs don’t have enough water to meet the drinking water and other domestic needs.
Hidkal, Navilutheertha, Almatti, and Tungabhadra dams’ water levels are alarmingly low compared to the previous year.
According to the officials of Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigam Limited (KBJNL), “The gross capacity stands at 20.618 tmc and live capacity is 2.998 tmc against the total capacity of 123.081 tmc in the Almatti dam. The inflow is nil and the outflow is 821 cusecs. The reservoir had 31.423 tmc of water last year”.
In the Hidkal Dam, built across the Ghataprabha river, the live storage capacity stood at 2.194 tmc against the total capacity of 51 tmc on Monday, 12 June. The reservoir is located in Hidkal village in the Hukkeri taluka of Belagavi. The reservoir had 6.436 tmc of water on the same day in 2022.
The Navilutheertha Dam across the River Malaprabha has a live capacity of 4.339 tmc against the total capacity of 37.731 tmc on Monday. Last year, the dam had a live capacity of 8.171 tmc. The shortest dam in Karnataka is located near Saundatti town in Belagavi.
The Hippargi Barrage on the Krishna river has dried up. It has a maximum storage capacity of 6 tmc. On 12 June last year, the barrage had 1.42 tmc of water.
The water level in the Tungabhadra Dam stood at 5.02 tmc against the total storage capacity of 105.788 tmc. The dam had 40.35 tmc of water on the corresponding day last year.
Dharwad, Vijayapura, Belagavi, Raichur, Yadgir, Bagalkot and Gadag districts are dependent on the Krishna, Malaprabha, Bhima, and Ghataprabha rivers for drinking water.
The scarcity of water has compelled thousands of people to rely either on water tankers or purifier plants that charge ₹5 per pot.
“We are supplying drinking water in Vijayapura city. In those areas where drinking water pipelines have been laid, we are supplying water once in two or three days,” Vijayapura City Corporation Commissioner Vijay Makalaki told South First.
These pipelines were supposed to supply water 24/7.
“In the remaining localities, water is being supplied once every four days or a week. The reservoirs have water only for the next 20 days. We hope that the monsoon will gather strength in the coming days,” he added.
An official in the Vijayapura Zilla Panchayat said water is being supplied to the interior regions as well.
Water is supplied in Belagavi, Gadag, and Dharwad districts once in 10 days. The people of Belagavi are dependent on Naviluthirtha and Rakaskop dams, built across the Malaprabha and Markandeya rivers, respectively. Both reservoirs have gone dry.
Terming the situation grim, activist Ashok Chandaragi said the delay in the onset of monsoon over Maharashtra has led to the drinking water scarcity in Belagavi.
“The authorities are supplying drinking water once every eight or 10 days in the city. In a few localities, people are dependent on old wells, which were rejuvenated by the government,” he told South First.
“If we don’t receive good rainfall in the next week or two, the situation will aggravate,” he added.
Taking note of the severe drinking water woes, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah held a meeting on Monday. He directed the district authorities concerned to take immediate measures to ease the situation.
ರಾಜ್ಯದ ಕೆಲವು ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಕುಡಿಯುವ ನೀರಿನ ಸಮಸ್ಯೆ ಉದ್ಭವಿಸಿರುವ ಹಿನ್ನೆಲೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿ @siddaramaiah ಅವರು ವಿಡಿಯೊ ಕಾನ್ಫರೆನ್ಸ್ ಮೂಲಕ ಜಿಲ್ಲಾಧಿಕಾರಿಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ಜಿಲ್ಲಾ ಪಂಚಾಯ್ತಿ ಕಾರ್ಯನಿರ್ವಹಣಾಧಿಕಾರಿಗಳ ಜತೆ ಸಭೆ ನಡೆಸಿ, ಈ ಕೂಡಲೇ ಸಮಸ್ಯೆ ಬಗೆಹರಿಸಲು ಅಗತ್ಯ ಕ್ರಮ ಕೈಗೊಳ್ಳುವಂತೆ ಸೂಚಿಸಿದರು.
ಸಭೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಸಚಿವರಾದ… pic.twitter.com/jrzyAirM7x— CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) June 12, 2023
The chief minister held a video conference with the district administrations of Bidar, Kalaburagi, Yadgiri, Raichur, Koppal, Ballari, Dakshina Kannada, and Udupi districts. He also reviewed the progress of the Jal Jeevan Mission in those districts.
Contrary to the IMD’s version, he said the monsoon’s onset over Karnataka was on 10 June. Kerala, which receives the first southwest monsoon showers, got them on 8 June, a departure from the normal 1 June.
“According to the information received, the state received deficient rainfall between 1 June and 11. There is a shortage of 67 percent. The Meteorological Department has predicted that rainfall will be normal in the coming days,” the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said in a media statement.
The CMO further said that tankers are supplying water in 322 villages spread over 15 districts. In 148 villages, the government has taken private borewells on rent to provide water.
The water shortage in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts is likely to be resolved once the monsoon gathers strength in the coming days, officials told the chief minister at the conference.
Noting the meager quantity of water Maharashtra has released, Chandaragi opined that Siddaramaiah should immediately send an all-party delegation to that state seeking more water for Karnataka.
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