Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday wrote a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde urging him to release water in the Krishna and Bhima rivers. In the letter, Siddaramaiah referred to the heat prevailing in the northern districts of Karnataka.
Siddaramaiah wrote, ‘Districts of North Karnataka like Belagavi, Vijayapura, Bagalkot, Kalaburagi, Yadgiri and Raichur are facing acute shortage of drinking water since March, 2023 due to severe heat. According to the Chief Minister of Karnataka, ‘The Government of Karnataka had earlier requested to release three TMC water from Warna/Koyna reservoir to Krishna river and three TMC water from Ujjani reservoir to Bhima river to meet the drinking water needs of people and livestock.’
Siddaramaiah said that on this request, in the first fortnight of May, the Maharashtra government had released one TMC of water into the Krishna river. He thanked the Maharashtra government in this regard. The Karnataka chief minister said the monsoon has not yet set in, while northern districts are reeling under severe heat and people need water for domestic use and for livestock. Siddaramaiah said in the letter, ‘I request you to direct the concerned authorities to immediately release two TMC water from Warna/Koyna reservoir to Krishna river and three TMC water from Ujjani reservoir to Bhima river to meet the drinking water requirements. He has also identified Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis in the letter.
