The state government has decided to release one tmc ft. water from Narayanpur Dam to partly solve the drinking water shortage in Solapur and Akkalkot towns and villages in Maharashtra, besides water shortage in Kalaburagi and Yadgir districts.
This is to reciprocate Maharashtra’s gesture of releasing two tmc ft. water from Koyna to Krishna River to meet the drinking water requirement in Belagavi and Bagalkote districts.
Water Resources Minister M.B. Patil, in a press release issued here on Saturday, said that the water would be released from Narayanpur Dam to Indi Branch Canal. Through the escape gates, the water would reach it destination in Maharashtra, besides reaching Kalaburagi and Yadgir districts.
While 750 cusecs would be released from the escape gates of Indi Branch Canal to Ouj-Chinchapur, Khanapur and Hilli Barrages in Maharashtra, 850 cusecs would be released through the escapes gates of Indi Branch Canal to eight barrages including Bhunyar, Sonna, Hattarki, Kollur, and Saradagi Barrage in Kalaburagi district, Sontha and Yadgir Barrages in Yadgir district.
The release of water to Kalaburagi and Yadgir comes at a time when the storage level in Saradagi barrage providing drinking water to Kalaburagi city has depleted. The present storage of 50 mcft is enough to supply water to the city for the next 10 days.
Executive Engineer of the Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board Ashok Madyal told The Hindu that only 50 mcft of water could be realised out of the total 150 mcft of water released from Kallur Barrage to Saradagi Barrage. He said that around 100 mcft was lost during its travel of 40 km from Kallur to Saradagi barrage. Meanwhile, the government has released Rs 1.62 crore to tackle the drinking water shortage in Kalaburagi city and instructions have already been issued to provide the drinking water through tankers wherever necessary, on an emergency basis.
