Karnataka bets on monsoon revival, decides to release Krishna water for irrigation

Karnataka government decided to release Krishna water from Almatti reservoir for irrigation under the Upper Krishna Project (UKP) from July 28, prioritizing farmers despite low storage.

Almatti and Narayanpur reservoirs together held gross storage of 147.96 TMC and live storage of 115.59 TMC as of July 27, below the annual requirement of 124 TMC.

The decision follows a farmers’ delegation led by former minister Shivananda Patil urging water release to protect standing crops and complete delayed kharif sowing.

Inflows into Almatti reservoir began only on July 6, later than usual, due to deficient rainfall in June and July.

Officials expect additional 8.42 TMC inflows into Almatti, but will resort to rationing if the monsoon does not revive.