BENGALURU: Karnataka has appealed to the Telangana government to allow it to utilise 3.5 tmcft of water to mitigate drinking water shortage in the Tungabhadra river basin.
As per the KWDT (Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal) award, Telangana’s share towards Rajolibanda diversion scheme is 3.501 tmcft but this quota has not been utilised so far as downstream of Tungabhadra dam has received good rains leading to sufficient flow in the river in the border of Telangana, Water Resources Minister M B Patil said.
Patil said due to scanty rainfall in the catchment areas of Tungabhadra sub-basin, the total inflow to Tungabhadra dam is 123 tmcft and, after deducting 9 tmcft towards evaporation losses, 114 tmcft is available for utilisation for the year 2017-18.
Patil recalled that during 2016-17, as a humanitarian gesture, Karnataka had released 1 tmcft of water from Narayanpur reservoir to cater to the drinking water needs of Mahabubnagar district of Telangana.
Promising reciprocation, Patil said, “We will reciprocate. From Almatti and Narayanpur, we will give one or two tmcft this year also if required by Telangana. It’s a mutual relationship for drinking water.”