As the monsoon season proves unreliable, the Karnataka government is stepping up to address the growing issue of drinking water scarcity. The state has faced over 70% rainfall deficit, leading to a severe crisis. The lack of rain has hit various regions including Bengaluru hard, causing wells to dry up and affecting drinking water availability. At a review meeting on the situation held on Tuesday, August 22, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah demanded swift action to ensure people have enough to drink.
The CM said that officials must prioritise water supply and avoid complaints. Currently, water is being delivered to 121 villages using tankers. In addition, 39 regions are dealing with extreme water shortages. The Chief Minister also addressed the predicament of farmers in Ballari district, who find themselves unable to repay loans due to adverse natural circumstances. He directed the Chief Secretary and the Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) to expedite solutions for their problems.
Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda pointed out that the Union government has established specific criteria for declaring a region as drought-hit. While approximately 120 taluks in Karnataka are grappling with inadequate rainfall, the process for declaring them as drought-affected mandates a preliminary crop survey, adhering to the guidelines set by the Union government authorities.
The Minister added that to ensure a realistic and reliable assessment, officials will employ a method known as ‘ground truthing’. This method involves selecting 10 villages within each taluk for verification. On-site visits will be conducted to meticulously document the status of five major crops in these villages. The resulting reports will be sent to the state government through the district Deputy Commissioners He said, “The goal is to identify and survey 10 villages within each taluk, aligning with the Union government's stipulations. This concerted effort will culminate in submitting the comprehensive report within the stipulated timeframe of 10 days.”
Meanwhile, an all-party meeting on inter-state river disputes and the row over the implementation of the Mekedatu reservoir is being held in Bengaluru on Wednesday, under the chairmanship of CM Siddaramaiah. Former CMs Basavaraj Bommai, HD Kumaraswamy, Jagadish Shettar, DV Sadananda Gowda, and Veerappa Moily are also attending the meeting.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stated that the water levels in state reservoirs are down and the available water storage is not sufficient for providing drinking water and agriculture. In this grave situation, the state will have to oblige the orders of the Supreme Court and the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal (CWDT).
"On the one hand, the interests of the Kannada people have to be protected and on the other hand, the government will have to follow the orders of the court. The government is in a fix and I hope legislators, parliamentarians of all parties and leaders would join their hands with the government by giving constructive suggestions and cooperation to the state government," CM Siddaramaiah stated.
Karnataka was directed to release 10,000 cusecs of water from the river Cauvery till August 31. Deputy CM DK Shivakumar stated, “Our requirement is 124 tmc of water. However, only 55 tmc of water is available in state dams."
He explained that Bengaluru city requires 24 tmc for drinking water purposes. Mysuru, Mandya and Ramanagara cities require 20 tmc of water. The state reservoirs in south Karnataka such as KRS have 22 tmc, Kabini 6.5 tmc, Harangi 7 tmc and Hemavathi 20 tmc of water storage.
There is no water available with the state to release it to Tamil Nadu. For the sake of standing crops and the benefit of farmers, the water has been released two times. “We have requested the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) to reconsider its decision. Once the all-party meeting is held, a decision to make an appeal in the Supreme Court will be made,” he stated.
Tamil Nadu is opposing the commencement of the Mekedatu project in Karnataka. The project is designed to provide drinking water to Bengaluru and surrounding cities. The row over utilising water from River Mahadayi to provide drinking water to parched lands of north Karnataka by implementing the Kalasa-Banduri project has also come to the forefront with the Goa opposing it.
With IANS inputs