Karnataka - Gulbarga   

Koyna Dam capacity being increased, says Yediyurappa

Special Correspondent

State urged to lodge protest with Centre, Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal

GULBARGA: Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly B.S. Yediyurappa on Monday accused the Maharashtra Government of planning to illegally increase the storage capacity of the Koyna Dam by 6.12 tmcft in the guise of repairing the dam. According to him, the capacity of the dam is being increased from 98.78 tmcft to 105 tmcft.

Mr. Yediyurappa told presspersons here that it is shocking that Karnataka has not asked the Union Government to direct Maharashtra not to increase the capacity of the Koyna Dam. The State Government should immediately take up the issue with the Centre and also before the new Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal headed by Justice Brijesh Kumar. Any modification to the existing storage facilities in the Krishna basin will affect Karnataka when the surplus waters are allocated among the riparian States.

Mr. Yediyurappa said according to the information available, Maharashtra plans to increase the height of the Koyna Dam. If it is allowed to do so, villages in Karnataka downstream of the dam, which depend on water from the river for their drinking water requirements, will be deprived of water, he warned.

He said Andhra Pradesh, another riparian State, is going ahead with illegal projects in the Krishna Basin to utilise surplus waters. It has filed a petition before the tribunal seeking that the unutilised quantum of water allocated under Scheme A of the Bachawat Award be considered surplus.

He said the State should take precautionary measures to ensure that the 729 tmcft of water allocated to Karnataka under Scheme A is not taken away by other States.

Flood relief

Mr. Yediyurappa accused the State Government of not spending even one-third of the interim relief of Rs. 300 crores provided by the Centre for relief and rehabilitation measures in the flood-affected areas in Belgaum, Bagalkot, Bijapur, Gulbarga and Raichur districts.

He said he is making a second tour of the flood-affected districts. The situation continues to be grim and diseases have started taking their toll. In Hukkeri in Belgaum district 24 persons have died of cholera and gastroenteritis due to the contamination of drinking water.

He said that although the Government has released funds for use in the affected districts, the Deputy Commissioners are not in a position to spend the money because of a lack of clear guidelines on payment of compensation.

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