Farmers in Belagavi have been tense after reports of a minor earthquake near Koyna in Maharashtra, around 250 km from here, though there is no specific advisory about it. The district administration has sounded a high alert following heavy rain and water release from Maharashtra.
A quake measuring of 3.1 on the Richter scale was recorded near Koyna on Thursday at 9.30 p.m. and the news spread in Belagavi by Friday morning. “There is no relation between the quake and the water release,” said Santosh Biradar, Chikkodi tahsildar.
‘No significant impact’
A senior irrigation engineer said: “The impact was not very significant, but we need to be careful though.”
A week ago, the government asked farmers to move away from rivers and low-lying areas.
Water released from the dam in Koyna reaches Belagavi district in three days. The dam has a total impounding capacity of 105 tmcft of water. Now, it has a storage of 80 tmcft. Water is being released at the rate of around 2,000 cusecs from the dam every day.
Maharashtra is releasing water at the rate of 1.97 lakh cusecs from reservoirs into the Krishna, following heavy rain in Konkan and western Maharashtra (discharge from Rajapur dam into the Krishna was at the rate of 1.6 lakh cusecs and discharge was at 32,000 cusecs into the Doodhganga, a tributary of the Krishna).
Water is flowing out of Belagavi district at an estimated 2.6 lakh cusecs into Bagalkot district. This includes the release from Maharashtra and the increased yield in the five tributaries of the Krishna in Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Meanwhile, heavy rain continued to lash parts of Belagavi district. Crops have been damaged in Belagavi, Khanapur, Bailhongal, Athani, Chikkodi, Nippani, and Raibag taluks. As many as 14 bridges and barrages continue to remain under water.
Heavy rain and water release from reservoirs have affected 32 villages fully and 37 villages partially. The district administration estimates around 3.26 lakh people in these villages to be affected in some way.
