Karnataka To Get Real-Time Water Data System At Dams: Maharashtra Minister

Jayant Patil said this after holding a high-level meeting with Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and its Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai at Bengaluru to resolve water-related issues between the two neighbouring states.

Maharashtra minister Jayant Patil on Saturday said the Karnataka government has decided to set up real-time data acquisition system (RTDAS) at its Almatti and Narayanpur dams to monitor the water level, which will help prevent recurrence of the flood situation that Kolhapur and Sangli districts of Maharashtra faced in 2019. Mr Patil, the state Water Resources Minister, said this after holding a high-level meeting with Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and its Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai at Bengaluru to resolve the water-related issues between the two neighbouring states. Unprecedented rainfall had wreaked havoc during the 2019 monsoon season in western Maharashtra, especially in Kolhapur and Sangli districts, claiming over 60 lives. After the floods, it was alleged that the Karnataka government was responsible for it as it did not release water from the Almatti dam on the Krishna river and its backwater led to flooding in the Maharashtra districts. Talking to reporters after the meeting, Mr Patil said, "Maharashtra already has a real-time data acquisition system in Krishna river basin, which helps the officials gauge the pace of water level rise due to rains. It helps them take decisions, like the release of water from dams, to avoid flooding."