Malaprabha Water Supply Approved for Crop Irrigation

Fast Summary

• Minister for Women and Child Growth, Laxmi Hebbalkar, has directed officials to release 4.5 TMCFT of water from Renuka Sagar Dam on Malaprabha River for standing crops.
• Water will be released over 17 days starting July 18 evening; around 20 TMCFT is reserved for drinking purposes.
• At the Irrigation Consultative Committee meeting, MLAs C.C. Patil and Bhimsen Chimmanakkatti were among attendees.
• In Maharashtra, water discharge into Krishna River and its tributaries reduced to 81,005 cusecs from Thursday’s 86,913 cusecs.
• Lal Bahadur Shastri reservoir in Almatti reported inflows of 95,868 cusecs and outflows of 89,074 cusecs; dam is at approximately 80% capacity with about 99 TMCFT stored water.
• Basava Sagara dam in Narayanpur has inflows of about 90,000 cusecs and outflows slightly higher at around 90,750 cusecs; current storage stands at about 88% with approximately 29 TMCFT water.

indian Opinion Analysis

The decision by Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar to release ample quantities of irrigation water reflects the state’s effort to prioritize agricultural needs amidst challenging rainfall patterns or other factors affecting crop sustainability. The emphasis on farmers using the released water wisely underscores concern over resource management given existing drinking water reserves.

Maharashtra’s reduced discharge levels into Krishna tributaries could have a marginal impact on downstream reservoirs like Almatti-currently operating near full capacity-and Basava Sagara dams. While both reservoirs retain healthy storage levels (above or near their full capacities), the precise balance between inflow-outflow tracking might need continued monitoring to ensure stability in supply downstream during peak agricultural reliance periods.

This development underscores an interconnected relationship between regional reservoir operations across states like Karnataka and Maharashtra during monsoon seasons when mutual dependability on shared resources becomes critical.

Published – July:18:2025 Read More