Andhra Govt Not Cooperating With Karnataka To Stop Wastage Of 30 TMC Water From Tungabhadra Reservoir, Says Karnataka DCM
Speaking to reporters, Shivakumar said that about 30 tmc ft of water is wasted every year due to silt accumulation in the Tungabhadra dam.
Published : March 14, 2026 at 5:54 PM IST
Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Saturday accused the Andhra Pradesh Government of not cooperating with Karnataka's proposal to find alternative solutions to stop the wastage of 30 tmcft of water from the Tungabhadra reservoir.
Speaking to reporters in Bagalakote, 400km north of Bengaluru, Shivakumar said that about 30 tmc ft of water is wasted every year due to silt accumulation in the Tungabhadra dam. To stop this, the Karnataka Government has proposed an alternative plan. But Andhra Pradesh, being a riparian state, is not cooperating.
"We have been requesting the AP government to come for discussions, but to no avail," he said. Not only this, but the neighbouring state is also opposing one of Karnataka's major irrigation projects—the Upper Krishna Project Stage-3—planned to utilise the state's rightful share of water as awarded by the tribunal, the Minister said.
"We have already started work worth Rs 26,000 crore on the project. But the AP government recently wrote a letter to the Centre objecting to the UKP 3rd Stage. They urged the Centre's intervention to stop Karnataka from proceeding with the project," Shivakumar said.
The Centre, in return, has sought clarification from the state. "In this regard, I have called a meeting of all Karnataka MPs in Delhi next Tuesday to discuss these issues and also put pressure on the Centre not to heed AP's pressure," Shivakumar said.
The Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal, in its final verdict in 2010, allowed Karnataka to increase the height of the Almatti reservoir to 524 meters, which can bring an additional 13 lakh hectares under irrigation.
"We are not increasing the dam's height immediately, but we are making preparations to utilise our share of water. However, the AP government is objecting to it," he said.
