Karnataka and Maharashtra agree to resolve water sharing issues

Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and State Interior Minister Basavaraj Bommai held a high-level meeting with Maharashtra Minister of Water Resources Jayant Patil here to resolve water issues between the two States.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Yediyurappa said the two states agreed to share real-time data on rainfall and water release from reservoirs in the Krishna and Bhima basins in order to effectively manage the floods.

“We discussed various issues regarding the management of floods in the Krishna and Bheema river basins. It was decided to have better coordination and communication between the two states at the ministerial level, at the level of the secretaries and at the level of the field, “said the CM.

It was decided that a technical team will work to obtain four TMC waters from Maharashtra and, in return, release water to the drought-affected areas of the western state, said the chief minister.

The two states have also agreed to complete the Dudhganga dam project at the earliest and Maharashtra will fund it as well. “Maharashtra will also provide sufficient funds for the completion of the Dudhganga dam,” Patil said at the press conference.

Highlighting the water shortage in April and May in the Krishna Basin region, Bommai said that since 2013, Maharashtra has been charging money for water supply to the state.

However, it was agreed that Karnataka will not pay but will provide water to Jath taluk in Maharashtra, which is affected by drought during the rainy season. Over the past three years, the state has witnessed flooding in the Krishna and Bhima rivers following downpours in its watersheds in Maharashtra.

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