Almatti dam reaches full storage level

VIJAYAPURA: The Lal Bahadur Shastri Sagar dam at Almatti in Nidagundi taluk has reached full storage level of 123 tmcft of water, bringing joy among the farming community. Last year too, the dam had reached full storage level in August.

The Krishna river, across which the dam is built, is the lifeline of the North Karnataka region. In inflow and outflow at the dam is 30,000 cusecs as of Saturday. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is expected to offer bagina to the Krishna river soon.

The Almatti dam has been in the centre of a controversy with the Karnataka government proposing to raise the height of the Alamatti dam to 524.256 metres while neighbouring Maharashtra has opposed it claiming that it would lead to floods in Sangli and Kolhapur districts in the neighbouring state.

According to the Karnataka government, the Almatti Dam is a hydroelectric project on the Krishna river in North Karnataka, which was completed in July 2005. The target annual electric output of the dam is 560 MU (or GWh). The dam serves as the main reservoir of the Upper Krishna Irrigation Project.