Karnataka has appealed to the Telangana government for 3.5 tmc feet of water to tackle the drinking water shortage in the Tungabhadra basin.

Karnataka Water Resources Minister MB Patil led a high-level delegation and met his Telangana counterpart Harish Rao in Hyderabad on Thursday and placed the State’s request.

Positive response

The Telangana government has responded positively to Karnataka’s request in view of the scanty rainfall in the Tungabhadra catchments area in Karnataka.

Patil told reporters later the the meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere.

“After detailed discussions, it was decided that engineers of both the States would work together, and after meeting the minimum requirements of Telangana, the remaining water would be given to Karnataka,” he said.

Karnataka’s gesture

“We also brought to the notice of the Telangana Minister that Karnataka had released 1 tmc feet of water from its share in 2016-17 and 2017-18 from Narayanapur dam as a humanitarian gesture to cater to the drinking water needs of Mehabubnagar district of Telangana,” he added.

He further said: “We also agreed to provide support to the modernisation of the Rajolibanda diversion scheme and promised to expedite the work to complete it by July 2018.”

Karnataka Water Resources Department Principal Secretary Rakesh Singh and other senior officers accompanied the Minister.

As per the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal award, Telangana’s share of water in the Rajolibanda diversion scheme is 3.501 tmc feet on a pro-rata basis and the quota has not been utilised by the State.

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