Siddaramaiah requests Maharashtra CM to release water for north Karnataka regions
He said Belagavi, Vijayapura, Bagalkot, Kalaburagi, Yadagiri and Raichur districts have been facing severe drinking water crisis
Bengaluru, Apr 1 (PTI) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday requested his Maharashtra counterpart Devendra Fadnavis to release water from Wama/Koyna reservoir to Krishna river and from Ujjani reservoir to Bhima river to meet drinking water needs in North Karnataka regions.
In a letter to the Maharashtra chief minister, he highlighted that Belagavi, Vijayapura, Bagalkot, Kalaburagi, Yadagiri and Raichur districts in north Karnataka have been facing severe shortages of drinking water since the beginning of March 2025.
Acknowledging the Maharashtra government's support during the summer seasons on earlier occasions, he thanked them for having responded positively for releasing water to Krishna river in the past as well to meet the drinking water needs of human beings and livestock.
At present, Siddaramaiah emphasised in the letter that the situation is becoming more critical with the rising temperatures and the existing storage levels in the Hipparagi Barrage and other local reservoirs are insufficient to cater to the drinking water needs of North Karnataka districts of Krishna Basin areas until the onset of the monsoon season in 2025.
"In view of the above, I request your kind self to direct the concerned authorities to release atleast 2.00 TMC of water from Warna/Koyna reservoir to Krishna river and 1.00 TMC of water from Ujjini reservoir to Bhima river to meet the immediate drinking water needs of both human beings and livestock of Northern Districts of Karnataka," he stated. PTI
