Regional Commissioner approves release of 4.105 tmcft from Narayanpur reservoir to meet Kalaburagi’s drinking water needs

With large parts of Kalaburagi district facing water scarcity, the Regional Commissioner has approved the release of 4.105 tmcft of water from the Narayanpur reservoir to meet the drinking water requirements of people and livestock in both urban and rural areas.

Deputy Commissioner Ikram Shariff said the approval was granted following a proposal submitted by the district administration based on requests from the Minor Irrigation Department, the Kalaburagi City Corporation, Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigam Limited, Afzalpur Town Municipal Council, and the tahsildars of Yadrami and Jewargi taluks.

He said the decision was taken by giving top priority to drinking water needs in view of the drought-like conditions prevailing in the district. Water has already been released following the Regional Commissioner’s approval.

According to the Deputy Commissioner, heavy rainfall in Maharashtra over the past week has substantially increased inflows into the Krishna, resulting in higher storage and inflows at the Almatti and Narayanpur reservoirs.

Taking advantage of the improved water availability, the government approved the release of water to Kalaburagi district in response to demands from farmers and the public.

Of the total allocation, 1 tmcft each will be supplied to the Sonna, Ghattarga and Kallur barrages in Afzalpur taluk through the IBC and JBC canals of the Narayanpur reservoir. Another 0.80 tmcft will be released to the Saradgi barrage, while 0.305 tmcft will be supplied to tanks under the Minor Irrigation Department to cater to villages in Jewargi and Yadrami taluks.

Mr. Shariff directed the departments concerned to accord highest priority to drinking water supply, ensure judicious utilisation of the released water and take all necessary measures for its proper management and distribution.

As per the information provided by authorities, the Narayanpur reservoir had a water level of 492.09 metres, close to its full reservoir level (FRL) of 492.25 metres at 8 a.m. on Sunday. The reservoir was receiving an average inflow of 52,370 cusecs over the previous 24 hours, while the average outflow during the same period stood at 32,686 cusecs. The current discharge into the river was 24,560 cusecs. The reservoir’s gross storage stood at 32.56 tmcft, representing 97.75% of its total capacity of 33.313 tmcft, while the live storage was 17.80 tmcft against a full live storage capacity of 18.553 tmcft.