VIJAYAPURA: The Telangana government’s request to Karnataka, seeking water from Almatti and Narayanapura reservoirs, is facing opposition from the farmers. Sensing the distress, the Congress government is treading cautiously on the issue.
The Telangana government representatives, in a recent letter to Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, sought water to save withering crops. They later claimed that Shivakumar responded positively, and Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy also shared the message on his ‘X’ account.
But the Telangana government’s request has met with resistance from several farmer unions in Karnataka, mainly in Vijayapura district.
Members of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha warned the state government against releasing water to Telangana.
Sangha district president Sangamesh Sagar and Akhanda Karnataka Raitha Sangha General Secretary Arvind Kulkarni urged the government not to accept the request from the neighbouring state.
“The government should not release any water to Telangana from Almatti dam, especially when the district is facing severe drought. We cannot afford to give water to anybody, sacrificing the interest of our farmers,” Kulkarni said.
Irrigation activist Panchappa Kalburgi reminded the state government how Telangana has been creating hurdles in getting a gazette notification issued for increasing the height of Almatti dam from 519 metre to 524 metre.
Treading cautiously on the issue, Vijayapura district in-charge minister MB Patil said that water can be released only for drinking purposes on humanitarian grounds. Maharashtra, too, has released water to Karnataka for drinking purposes on several occasions on humanitarian grounds, he pointed out.
“Even Maharashtra has raised objections to Krishna water sharing, but yet released water to Karnataka. Water sharing dispute is different from releasing water on humanitarian grounds, as very little water is needed for drinking purposes,” he said.
