Upper Krishna Project will be speeded up, minister says

Karanataka Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda discusses the issue of distribution of Krishna water with representatives of both houses.

By Ancy K. Sunny

BANGALORE (Dec. 2)—Karnataka Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda met representatives of both houses at his residence today to discuss the third phase of the Upper Krishna Project, particularly in the drought-prone districts of Bijapur and Bagalkot.

The Krishna river water has been a topic of dispute between the three riparian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. 

 Earlier media reports state that according to the second Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal verdict submitted on Dec. 30, Andhra Pradesh got the lion’s share with 1,001 thousand million cubic (TMC) feet of water followed by Karnataka, which was allocated 911 TMC feet and Maharashtra with 666 TMC feet.

Karnataka was also allowed to raise the Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of the Almmati Dam from 519.6 meters to 524.26 meters.

But Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are dissatisfied with the decisions of the tribunal and have approached it for further clarifications.

There have been protests from farmers, especially those from the Bagalkot and Bijapur districts, that the project is not being implemented properly.

“The government claims that they have utilized the water in the first and second stages of the Krishna Project,” opposition leader Siddharamaiah said. “The government also claims that 97 percent of the work is complete, and that the water is being efficiently distributed for irrigation to about six lakh [600,000] hectares of land, but it is not so in reality.”

“We are telling them to create an action plan and a time-bound program,” Siddharamaiah said. Siddharamaiah also added that the farmers are in distress and there have been many complaints from the MLAs of these regions.

According to Siddharamaiah the third phase of the project will cost more than Rs. 170 billion. One hundred thousand hectares of land will have to be acquired, and many villagers of Bagalkot and Bijapur will have to be shifted.

“We have all agreed to speed up the works in the Upper Krishna Project. We have to give justice to the long pending demand of drought-stricken areas of Bijapur and Bagalkot,” said Basavaraj Bommai, minister at the Karnataka State Water Resources Department.

This discussion will be taken up in the assembly session on Monday.