Belagavi, 7 Sept

Maharashtra has strongly opposed Karnataka’s proposal to raise the height of the Alamatti reservoir in Vijayapura district from 519.6m to 524 metres, citing flood risks and ecological concerns.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday warned that increasing the dam’s height could trigger severe flooding in South Maharashtra, particularly Kolhapur and Sangli districts. He reiterated his appeal to the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti to send an expert committee to assess the environmental and hydrological impact of the move.

Fadnavis had previously written to the Union Minister, CR Patil, in July, urging a halt to Karnataka’s proposal. He argued that raising the dam would not only intensify flooding but also lead to heavy siltation in the Krishna river’s catchment area, potentially altering the river’s natural course.

State’s Water Resources Minister, DK Shivakumar, had on Saturday reaffirmed the State’s commitment to increasing the dam’s height. Speaking in Vijayapura after Alamatti reached its full reservoir level, he announced that compensation for affected landowners would be declared within a week.

Fadnavis, speaking in Mumbai , claimed that past floods in Kolhapur and Sangli were worsened by Karnataka retaining water in Alamatti dam instead of releasing it downstream to the Narayanpur reservoir in Yadgir district.

He emphasised that Maharashtra is not against irrigation development in Karnataka’s drought-prone Kalyan Karnataka region, but insisted that it should not come at the cost of neighbouring states’ safety.

The Krishna River flows through Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana, and is prone to swelling during monsoons, especially with upstream releases and heavy rainfall.