From Our Special Correspondent

Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Aug 18: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the severe shortage of water levels in the State’s reservoirs owing to overall deficit of rains by 10 per cent since June 1.

The Chief Minister, in a letter to Modi on Thursday, said: "The monsoon forecast for the Cauvery and Krishna catchment areas is not very encouraging for the months of August and September. The reservoirs which provide the major hydel power to the State have a present storage capacity of only 46-48 per cent of their gross storage capacities."

The low water levels in the State’s reservoirs have also impacted the cultivation under the command area, he said.

“In the state, against a targeted seven lakh hectares of paddy, as on August 18, only 2.42 lakh hectares or roughly 35 per cent is under cultivation," he said and pointed out that “The water storage in the Cauvery basin is also likely to affect the drinking water availability in Bengaluru City.”

“My government is very closely monitoring the situation and our cabinet has taken decision not to allow any further releases for irrigation purpose, except in exceptional cases and subject to availability and utilise the existing water only for drinking purpose. In addition, employment generation works under MGNREGS would further strengthened in the Cauvery basin districts,’’ the Chief Minister wrote.

“Since there is a general perception that the south-west monsoon has been almost normal in Karnataka, I thought it necessary to bring the above facts to your attention,” the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah told Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

It is evident that the Chief Minister is cautiously preparing the ground for Karnataka’s refusal to yield to Tamil Nadu’s pressure on the release of Cauvery water as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister can be surely expected to take up the issue in a big way in the coming months.