Karnataka agrees to release water to Telangana’s Jurala project in phases

Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar directed officials to release water from the Almatti and Narayanpur reservoirs to Telangana’s Jurala project in phases. The move follows a request from Telangana Ministers and public representatives amid water shortages and difficulties faced by farmers.

Hyderabad: Karnataka agreed to release water to Telangana’s Jurala project in phases. Responding to a request from a delegation of Telangana Ministers and public representatives from the erstwhile Mahabubnagar district, Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar directed his officials to take necessary action by releasing water from the Almatti and Narayanpur reservoirs.

Ministers Jupally Krishna Rao and Vakiti Srihari met Shivakumar for the second consecutive day and explained the water shortage in Southern Telangana, the low water levels at the Jurala project and the difficulties faced by ayacut farmers. They urged Karnataka to release water from the Almatti and Narayanpur reservoirs in view of the El Nino conditions.

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Shivakumar responded positively and directed Karnataka irrigation officials to take immediate steps to release water to Telangana. He assured the delegation that water would be released for 10 days on a warabandi basis (a rotational water allocation method used in irrigation to distribute limited canal water fairly among farmers), as Karnataka too was facing water shortages.

The Telangana Ministers said the Karnataka Chief Minister discussed the issue with Irrigation Minister N Cheluvarayaswamy and Chief Secretary Dr Shalini Rajneesh. He directed them to extend assistance to Telangana and facilitate the release of water at the earliest.

The government said farmers dependent on Jurala, Bhima, Nettempadu and Koilsagar need not worry, and assured that steps were being taken to meet their irrigation and drinking water requirements.

A meeting of Ministers, MLAs and irrigation officials from the erstwhile Mahabubnagar district will be held on Thursday to discuss optimal utilisation of available water from the four projects for irrigation and drinking water needs.