Bengaluru, Sept. 16 -- A decision by the Karnataka Cabinet to raise the height of the Alamatti reservoir to 524.256 metres as part of the Upper Krishna Project (UKP) Stage-3 has set the stage for a potential flashpoint with neighbouring Maharashtra over Krishna river water.
The step, cleared at a special meeting chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, is being hailed by the state as a "historic move" to accelerate irrigation and development in north Karnataka.
Siddaramaiah told reporters after the meeting that the increase in Alamatti's height, from the current 519.6 metres, would help bring an estimated 5.94 lakh hectares (about 14-15 lakh acres) under irrigation. "This is a massive irrigation project that will transform the lives of far...