A study on irrigation projects across the state has exposed corruption to the tune of Rs26,000 crore in the sector in the last decade.

With little assistance forthcoming, 41 of them have been threatening to push for merger with Karnataka

Malabai Solankar has been waiting since 6 a.m. on Saturday to collect fodder at a makeshift depot in Sordi village in Sangli's Jath taluka. Now well past noon, she is struggling to not to lose her patience, as are others gathered there. Located on the Maharashtra border, Sordi is part of 41 villages that have been threatening to push for merger with neighbouring Karnataka if the Maharashtra government fails to provide relief in view of the current drought.

From being a much sought-after delicacy found in abundance in the Godavari and Krishna rivers, to figuring in the global IUCN Red List of threatened species, the fringed-lipped carp (Labeo fimbriatus) has been hunted almost to extinction, thanks to unscientific overharvesting.

A serious effort is hence being made by the Andhra Pradesh Biodiversity Board to revive the once-popular fish species by introducing fingerlings this monsoon, to start with, in the Godavari river system in Adilabad district.

West Godavari district, irrigated by two mighty rivers, is on the road to agricultural prosperity thanks to various schemes.

Citizens of the peripheral areas in Hyderabad will continue to suffer drinking water shortage for at least two more years due to a delay in the implementation of the Krishna Phase-III, as the state government has sanctioned a meagre Rs 30 crore for execution of the Rs 1,670 crore project.

The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board has little money to take up works on the Krishna Phase-III, and the Water Board is already mortgaging its properties to raise loans for the execution of the Godavari drinking water project for Hyderabad city.

Rs 24,000-crore estimation to meet City’s water needs

Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) Minister S Suresh Kumar has evinced interest in a plan prepared by the Centre for Policies and Practices (CPP), an NGO, to solve the growing demand for water in the City.

Shortage of water is not due to lack of water but due to its mismanagement, the Samiti members said here on Monday.

Projects not implemented: According to them, Karnataka received 725 tmc ft of water under , which should be enough for small, medium and large irrigation projects; but they aren’t being implemented, specifically the Upper Krishna project.

Water experts warn that India’s major rivers, including Ganga, Yamuna, Narmada, Krishna, Godavari and Chambal, could soon dry up due to blatant sand and gravel mining being spearheaded by the mining mafia.

So blatant are their activities that the water experts warn entire river systems are being destroyed by their illegal activities.Sand is vital for the health of the river system because it acts like a sponge helping to recharge the water table. Its progressive depletion results in plunging water tables and increased velocity of river flow.

Brace up for a relatively parched summer, as drinking water supply is likely to take a nosedive with both Osmansagar and Himayatsagar fast drying up. According to officials, water available in the two reservoirs will be sufficient for supply only up to May, after which reserves will reach dead storage levels, forcing use of high-power motors to pump water.

But the quality of water at dead storage level is hardly satisfying, given the experience. Residents had earlier complained of ‘stinking and discoloured water’ supplied from these two reservoirs.