BENGALURU: The Maharashtra government fears that increase in height of Alamatti reservoir in Bagalkot district of Karnataka from 519.60 meters to 524.256 meters would result in flooding of Sangli, Satara and Kolhapur districts owing to backwaters and there is no need for the Maharashtra government to fear flooding since its own expert committee led by retired Principal Secretary to Irrigation department Nandkumar Wadnekar ruled out flooding from the Almatti and Hipparagi reservoirs, stated Minister of Large Scale Industries M.B. Patil on Sunday. M.B. Patil was the irrigation minister in Siddaramaiah ministry from 2013-18 and he took exception to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis recent letter to Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil objected to Karnataka’s plans to increase the height of the Almatti reservoir. Patil, in a statement, stated “There is no dispute over increasing the height of the Almatti reservoir and the Krishna Tribunal okayed increasing the height of the reservoir” and accused the Maharashtra government of raising objections “intentionally.” The Maharashtra government constituted a 10-member expert committee headed by Nandkumar Wadnekar in 2019 after Sangli and surrounding districts were hit by flooding. Patil, referring to the expert committee report submitted to the Maharashtra government in May 2020, pointed out the expert committee made it clear to the Maharashtra government backwards from Amatti and Hipparagi reservoirs aren’t responsible for flooding in Sangli and surrounding districts of Maharashtra and stated “The backwaters of Almatti and Hippragi reservoirs remained within the territory of Karnataka and none of the areas in Maharashtra gets submerged in backwaters from storing water in Almatti and Hipparagi reservoirs.” The report stated Sangli is located about 260km away while Hipparagi reservoir is about 22-km away downstream of Rajapura barrage in Maharashtra. The Wadnekar committee report attributed flooding mainly in Sangli, Satara and Kolhapur districts to discharge of excess water in lakhs of cusecs from Koyna reservoir, Rajapura barrages among others (located in Maharashtra) “at once.” Having served as Water Resources Minister, Patil said “I have complete clarity on the issue” and stated “Rampant encroachment on (River Krishna) catchment areas in Sangli district is a credible reason for flooding.” Patil said he is in possession of a report on encroachment of River Krishna catchment areas in Maharashtra and stated to hand the documents to the present Minister of Water Resources D.K. Shivakumar to act on it.
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