Heavy rain in Maharashtra has increased inflow into the Krishna in Belagavi and Bagalkot districts. Water is flowing over the Rajapur dam in Maharashtra from where it is being released into the Krishna.
Karnataka irrigation officials estimate the inflow to be between 20,000 cusecs and 25,000 cusecs. “If the flow continues for five or six days, we could expect floods in the low-lying areas of Belagavi and Bagalkot districts,” a senior officer said. Water from Rajapur dam has crossed Chikkodi, Raibag, and Athani taluks before flowing into Bagalkot district. It is likely to flow into the Lal Bahadur Shastri dam at Almatti in Bagalkot district on Wednesday.
For now, water release has brought cheer to villages along the route and farmers are happy. Drinking water is being supplied to villages in Bagalkot district and some villages like Rabakavi and Banahatti from nearby barrages and reservoirs, officers said. Water from Hippargi dam is being pumped to overhead tanks in Jamakhandi. “The water in the Hippargi dam that has total storage of 6 tmcft was down to around 0.8 tmcft in the last week of June. Now, the inflow has increased and water is above dead storage levels,” another officer said.
Due to heavy rain in Belagavi, bridge-cum-barrages in Mallikawad, Karadaga and Bhoj villages are overflowing. Villagers are using alternative routes to reach other villages and towns. Rainfall subsided on Tuesday in some taluks, while it continued to pour in Khanapur.
Ghataprabha, Doodha Ganga and Pancha Ganga, the main tributaries of the Krishna, are in full flow. Officials have banned the entry of tourists on the walkway steel bridge over the Ghataprabha in Gokak falls for safety reasons.