Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Limited (KNNL) officials faced tough questioning during a district-level review meeting chaired by District In-charge Minister Satish Jarkiholi in Belagavi on Tuesday, as they failed to provide clarity on the contentious Hidkal dam water diversion project to Hubballi-Dharwad industrial zones.
Though the project was a key agenda item, KNNL officials skirted detailed discussion. When probed by reporters, they could not offer convincing answers. Minister Jarkiholi stepped in, stating that the state government had approved the project and that officials were in the process of identifying land for a jackwell installation to lift water.
However, many pressing concerns remained unaddressed, especially how the Water Resources Department sanctioned water beyond permissible limits despite KNNL’s earlier rejection of the project. The minister admitted that the initiative was launched without the local administration’s knowledge but has since received official clearance. He added that 0.5 tmcft of water from the Hidkal reservoir has been allocated for industrial use in Hubballi-Dharwad and stressed that usage must not exceed this limit going forward.
Jarkiholi also highlighted a severe manpower shortage at KNNL. Of the 1,322 sanctioned posts, 712 remain vacant, leaving only 610 personnel currently on duty.
Dam Water Levels Improve
Officials shared updated reservoir statistics during the meeting. Hidkal dam (Ghataprabha River) stands at 82.1% capacity (last year: 37%), Naviluteertha (Malaprabha River) at 62.1% (last year: 27%), Shirur dam (Markandeya River) at 90.7% (last year: 39.3%), and Almatti dam (Krishna River) at 71.2% (last year: 52.4%).
As of Tuesday, the Kallol Barrage on the Krishna River recorded an inflow of 1,06,676 cusecs, 84,500 cusecs from Rajapur Barrage and 22,176 cusecs from the Dudhaganga River.
