Kolhapur Water Crisis : Use Water Sparingly, Says Guardian Minister Hasan Mushrif

Kolhapur Water Crisis : Low water level in Dams, Three months to go for monsoon

Kolhapur Water Crisis Kolhapur: Guardian Minister Hasan Mushrif has appealed to citizens to use water sparingly. He made this statement during a meeting of the Canal Advisory Committee on Monday. It was decided in the meeting that a meeting should be held after each rotation and only then a decision should be taken on the water ban.

Key Points:

• The meeting reviewed the project-wise water usage and the remaining water storage.
• There was a demand from some members to not impose a water ban immediately.
• The Irrigation Department clarified that the water ban is not to restrict water usage but to ensure that water from the dam reaches the farmers in the last village.
• Last year, the water ban caused a loss of about 500 crore rupees in sugarcane production.
• The meeting decided to study the water storage and review the water ban after three weeks based on rotation.
• The meeting was attended by MLA P. N. Patil, District Collector Amol Yedge, Superintending Engineer Abhijit Mhetre, former MLA Sanjay Ghatge, Executive Engineers Smita Mane and Shilpa Magdum-Raje, Rohit Bandiwadekar, D. D. Shinde, and officials from the concerned departments.

• Reduced Water Supply to Karnataka: The water supply to Karnataka from Kalammawadi Dam has been reduced this year. Karnataka is now being supplied with 3.11 TMC water.
• Do Not Pay Increased Water Tax: The decision to impose a 200 times increased water tax on farmers has been suspended by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Guardian Minister Mushrif said that an order in this regard will be issued in the next two days. He instructed the farmers not to pay the increased water tax and to pay only the regular, old rate.
• Use Solar Pumps for Irrigation: Mushrif suggested that farmers should use solar pumps under various government schemes to use water during the day, which will prevent water wastage and save money.
• Water from Tulshi for Panchaganga and Bhogavati if Required: There is a 2.16 TMC water storage in Tulshi. Mushrif instructed the officials to plan to release water from the Tulshi project into the Panchaganga and Bhogavati rivers if needed.

Water Availability and Planning:

• Dudhganga Project: Available water storage for summer season – 9.30 TMC. Water released through Gaby Tunnel – 1.87 TMC. Water released into Dudhganga Valley – 6.56 TMC.
• Radhanagari Project: Available water storage for summer season – 5.37 TMC. Water released for irrigation – 4.85 TMC.
• Warna Project: Available water storage for summer season – 6.53 TMC. Water released for irrigation – 5.53 TMC.