Karnataka’s worst water problem

  

The state is staring at the worst drinking water crisis in 40 years, the government said on Wednesday. "The inflow into Krishnarajasagar reservoir (KRS) has been very low and this is the worst situation in the Cauvery basin in the last 40 years," said energy minister D K Shivakumar.

 "We require 15tmcft (thousand million cubic feet) of water for drinking till next summer. Currently, we have only 12.68tmcft. It is going to be tough in the coming days if there is no rainfall in the catchment area," he said.

Shivakumar added, "Bengaluru and Mysuru are likely to face a shortage of drinking water because the inflow into the KRS has been very low".

The weatherman has forecast low rainfall in the Cauvery catchment area. Though the initial forecast for the Cauvery catchment area was positive, it was later revised and the probability of rainfall in the next four or five months is low. "We expect an inflow of 15tmcft to 20tmcft into the reservoir, but the demand for water is quite high," Shivakumar said. The reduced inflow has put the state government in a tight spot. "We are concerned about drinking water availa bility but we cannot neglect the water needs of farmers in the Mysur u-Mandya region," Shivakumar said.

"About 50% of the farmers have started agricultural activities in anticipation of water availability and we cannot afford to ignore them. Though water experts have advised us against releasing water for agriculture, we have decid ed to release water for farming into canals till August 30. Release of water will be stopped f rom September 1 to 10. If we have to release water for the next 80 days we will require 40tmcft," he said. The district administration met farmers in Mandya and briefed them on the situation.

 "We have appealed to farmers not to grow water-intensive crops. We have decided to set up a vigilance committee to monitor the type of crops being grown in the Cauvery basin till the crisis eases. Farmers too need to understand the plight of the government and use water judiciously," S hivakumar said.

 The low rainfall has also taken a toll on power generation in the state. "Last year, all electricity companies suffered losses of Rs 2,500 crore because of shortage of hydel power. The situation is grim this year too and we are ready to float a tender for power purchase," he said. Later in the day, the cabinet delved into the water crisis, which may take a serious turn in the coming days. "We expect farmers to irrigating crops in the Krishna and Cauvery basins. The state has been facing a dry spell in the last 15 days and the forecast is not good for the next few weeks," said law minister TB Jayachandra. He said the government is preparing to tackle the water crisis and instructions have been given to use water sparingly for drinking purposes only. Barring Almatti and Narayanpura dams, all other ones are low on water storage, he said.