Bengaluru: Karnataka Water Resources Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi would discuss measures to control the flood situation during the southwest monsoon rains with his Maharashtra counterpart Jayant Patil, an official said on Tuesday.
“Jarkiholi is meeting Patil in Mumbai on Wednesday to finalise a mechanism to monitor and control the situation in the event of monsoon rains flooding the state’s northwest districts from Krishna and Bhima rivers and their tributaries in southern Maharashtra,” the official told IANS here.
Heavy and widespread monsoon rains in August 2019 resulted in Krishna overflowing from Maharashtra and flooding Bagalkot, Vijapura and Belagavi districts, resulting in a trail of death and damage in the state’s northwest region.
“The states will also ensure coordination between their officials to avoid flooding if the rivers and their tributaries go into spate due to heavy rains in their catchment areas,” added the official.
The two ministers will also discuss sharing of the Krishna water during summer and notifications of the Krishna Tribunal award for both the states.
State Textile Minister Shrimant Patil and Water Resources Secretary Rakesh Singh will also participate in the talks with Maharashtra.
Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa sought water from Koyana and Ujjain reservoirs of the two rivers in the neighbouring state in May to meet the drinking needs of the people in the northwest districts.
With the onset of summer, Bagalakot, Belagavi, Kalaburagi, Raichur, Vijayapura and Yadigiri districts face acute shortage of drinking water as they are in the country’s second most arid region after Rajasthan.
As one of the largest dams in Maharashtra’s south-west region, Koyana reservoir is located across its river at Mahabaleshwar in Satara district, while Ujjani dam is across Bhima, a tributary of Krishna river in Solapur district.
