Karnataka minister MB Patil says Maharashtra’s diversion project would hit inflows into Almatti reservoir
Patil told reporters Sunday that Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis recently announced that his govt intended to pursue the project.
Vijayapura: Industries minister MB Patil has objected to Maharashtra ’s proposal to divert 40 tmc feet of floodwater from Krishna river to Bhima river in Maharashtra, saying the project would “seriously harm” Karnataka ’s interests. He said the proposed diversion could alter water flows in Krishna upper sub-basin and potentially affect the volume of water flowing into Almatti reservoir. “Union govt should clarify the legal basis on which Maharashtra had proceeded with the project since it does not fall within the scope of Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II (KWDT-II) award and explain how it had secured financial assistance from the World Bank,” Patil said.
He warned that this could adversely affect not only Karnataka but also the availability of water for other riparian states.
Playing a video clip of Fadnavis purportedly speaking in Mumbai last month, Patil said an all-party meeting chaired by chief minister DK Shivakumar would soon be convened to discuss the issue.
“It is also preparing to conduct geological surveys along an 84 km route. The DPR is expected to be ready by the end of 2026, and the estimated project cost is around Rs 19,000 crore. Patil said the Krishna water dispute tribunal had allocated an additional 448 tmc feet of water based on 65% dependability and average availability, over and above the 2,130 tmc feet available at 75% dependability. Of this additional allocation, Maharashtra received 81 tmc feet, Karnataka 173 tmc feet, and undivided Andhra Pradesh 194 tmc feet, Patil said.
“Information available shows Maharashtra govt sanctioned Rs 24 crore in July 2026 to prepare a detailed project report (DPR),” he said. He said that the tribunal’s objections to the earlier proposal have raised questions about why Maharashtra is now pursuing another project to transfer water from the same basin to a different destination. He also questioned how Maharashtra received World Bank funding for the project when the central govt had repeatedly returned Karnataka’s DPR for Upper Krishna Project Stage III, citing the absence of official gazette notification of the KWDT-II award. He called for appropriate measures to ensure Karnataka’s interests were not adversely affected.