Water reached the Krishna basin in Belagavi district on Sunday after Maharashtra released around 1,500 cusecs from Rajapur dam into the river course. This is expected to meet the drinking water needs of villages on the banks of the river.

The district administration has urged farmers on both sides of the canal not to pump water to irrigate their crops. Water will first flow through Manjari, Ankali and Chandur villages in Chikkodi taluk before reaching Raibag and Athani taluks. “We have requested farmers in Chikkodi and Raibag not to use this water for irrigation. [It is] only to fulfil the drinking water needs of Athani taluk,” a senior officer said.

The Revenue Department issued an advisory on Saturday stating that if farmers desist from using water for irrigation, Mulawad, Ugar B.K. Ainapur, and Daroor in Athani, and Diggewadi, Jalalpur, Chinchali Gundawad, Shiragur Siddapur and surrounding villages would benefit.

Irrigation officials said the water was released following rainfall in the Krishna basin in Maharashtra. “We were informed that 14 of the 62 crest gates were opened to release 1,500 cusecs,” an official said.

On an average, such a quantum of water takes around an hour to cross a distance of 300 feet as there is no standing water in the canal. Furthermore, the rates of evaporation and absorption are high. Even if the water is not used by farmers on the way, it will take at least seven days to cross the district and reach Bagalkot, an engineer said.

However, there has been no action on the promise by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to release 2 tmcft of water from the Koyna reservoir into the Krishna. In response to a letter from Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, Mr. Fadnavis had said that Maharashtra would release water on the condition that Karnataka would also release water from its reservoirs when districts in eastern Maharashtra districts needed it. Water Resources Minister D.K. Shivakumar had announced that Karnataka was willing to sign a water-for-water agreement with the neighbouring State.

Releasing 2 tmcft of water means the release of at least 11,575 cusecs in two phases to ensure that all villages bordering the river course in Belagavi, Bagalkot and Vijayapura districts get drinking water, officials said.