VIJAYAPURA: Congress MLA from Indi, Yashvanthrayagouda Vittalagouda Patil, has said that a high-level delegation comprising MLAs from Vijayapura, Belagavi and Kalaburagi districts will soon meet the Maharashtra government to resolve issues related to the sharing of Bhima and Krishna river water and seek a permanent solution through mutual coordination.
He said the Maharashtra government had released 16,000 cusecs of water from the Ujni reservoir into the Bhima river as a humanitarian gesture, helping avert a severe drinking water crisis in the region.
“Instead of depending on such releases every time, permanent solutions can be found only through drinking water projects linked to the Krishna and Bhima rivers,” he said.
Patil noted that Maharashtra itself was facing water scarcity while supplying drinking water to Solapur, yet released water into the Bhima river out of goodwill. He said Karnataka should also positively consider Maharashtra’s requests regarding water supply.
“We can resolve the water dispute with a give-and-take policy by sharing water with Maharashtra, and Maharashtra will reciprocate. I request the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister to take steps in this direction.
A mutual agreement will address the drinking water crises in border regions of both States,” he said. Recalling earlier drought conditions in Indi taluk, Patil said tanker water once had to be transported from hundreds of kilometres away. However, with irrigation and tank-filling projects now in place, dependence on tanker water has nearly ended. He added that sugarcane cultivation in the taluk has expanded to nearly 26,000 hectares.