Akkalkot MLA Sachin Kalyanshetti has asked Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to allocate 5 TMC of Krishna flood water to the Solapur district taluka through a proposed plan to divert excess water towards the Nira-Bhima basin.
In a letter to the chief minister, Kalyanshetti sought the inclusion of Akkalkot in the proposed arrangement under which around 50 TMC of additional water from the Krishna river is being planned for diversion towards the Nira-Bhima basin. The broader proposal is linked to efforts to reduce the recurring flood impact on Sangli city and surrounding areas, according to a report by Sakal – Pune.
The MLA said Akkalkot is a permanently drought-prone area where small and medium water-resource projects in the taluka do not fill to full capacity every monsoon. This limits the availability of water for agriculture and leaves the region facing recurring water shortages.
Kalyanshetti has proposed lifting 5 TMC of flood water from the Bhima river through an irrigation scheme and releasing it into under-capacity water projects in Akkalkot. The demand would require a separate assessment of the engineering, storage and distribution arrangements needed to move the water into the taluka’s existing reservoirs and projects.
The proposal places Akkalkot’s water shortage within a wider inter-basin water-management discussion. The reported plan to divert excess Krishna water towards the Nira-Bhima basin seeks to address two different pressures: recurring flood impacts in parts of the Krishna basin and inadequate water availability in drought-prone areas. The report does not indicate that the diversion plan or the 5 TMC allocation has received final approval.
Kalyanshetti has asked the chief minister to direct the Water Resources Department to conduct a survey for a lift-irrigation scheme from the Bhima river and prepare a detailed project report on an urgent basis. A survey and detailed project report would be necessary steps before the technical design, cost, land requirements, source availability and operating arrangements for the proposed scheme could be assessed.
The demand also raises an administrative question over how water released or diverted through a wider basin-level plan would be distributed among drought-prone areas. Any allocation to Akkalkot would need to be considered alongside the capacity of local projects and the infrastructure required to convey and store the water. The report does not provide details of the proposed route, estimated cost, construction timeline or departments responsible for implementation.
Speaking about the request, Kalyanshetti said that securing water for Akkalkot from the plan to divert Krishna flood water into the Nira-Bhima basin was essential to address the continuing water shortage and drought conditions in his assembly constituency.
The immediate next step requested by the MLA is a Water Resources Department survey followed by preparation of a detailed project report. No decision by the chief minister or a formal sanction for the Akkalkot allocation was reported.
