Falling Krishna River levels raise drinking water fears

Belagavi: Due to scorching heat and the continued absence of rainfall, the water level in the Krishna River has dropped sharply, triggering concern over drinking water availability in riverbank villages of Belagavi district. If water is not released into the river from reservoirs in Maharashtra, more than 130 villages in the border areas of the district may face an acute shortage.With repairs underway on the 22nd gate of the Hipparagi reservoir, the stored water has almost dried up, raising the likelihood of a severe drinking water crisis in villages along the Krishna River in Belagavi, Bagalkot, and Vijayapura districts.The Hipparagi Barrage, located in Jamkhandi taluk of Bagalkot district, provides irrigation to hundreds of acres of land in Belagavi district through the Halyal and Ainapur lift irrigation projects. It also supplies drinking water to more than 130 villages in the border areas of Belagavi district.Currently, water storage in the Hipparagi barrage, which has a capacity of 6 tmcft, stands at just 0.3 tmcft, compared to 1.7 tmcft during the same period last year. During the repair of the 22nd gate, a large quantity of water was released into the Krishna River, resulting in the reservoir reaching critically low storage levels.Officials of Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Limited said that if the flow in the Krishna River does not improve, drinking water problems may arise in several villages across Belagavi, Bagalkot, and Vijayapura districts. According to Panduranga Rao, executive engineer of the rural drinking water and sanitation department, the existing water in the Hipparagi reservoir is sufficient for only about 15 days.Umar Mulla, a teacher-cum-farmer from Darga village in Athani taluk, said that the drinking water problem has already worsened in riverside villages. He noted that water for both people and livestock is becoming scarce and warned that the situation could deteriorate further if conditions persist.Belagavi deputy commissioner Mohammad Roshan expressed hope that water would soon be released into the Krishna River. The state govt has contacted the Maharashtra govt regarding the release of water from its reservoirs into the river.Farmers in the border areas have demanded that efforts be intensified to secure the release of water from Maharashtra reservoirs into the Krishna River. Irrigation experts have advised that the available water be used sparingly, sowing decisions be made based on water availability, and crops requiring high water consumption be avoided.