Ramesh Jarkiholi, Maharashtra minister agree to inter-state flood panels

BELAGAVI: It appears as though a few lessons have been learnt from the devastating floods that ravaged Karnataka and Maharashtra last year. Determined to avoid a tragic encore, the governments of Karnataka and Maharashtra on Wednesday decided to constitute joint flood management and monitoring committees.
Karnataka minister for water resources Ramesh Jarkiholi, accompanied by secretary of the department, on Wednesday flew to Mumbai from Belagavi, to confer with his Maharashtra counterpart Jayant Patil.Their meeting, which started around 4.30pm lasted more than three hours, during which both Jarkiholi and Patil evinced their mutual interest in seeing the joint committees being set up. The ministers reportedly also sought to end the impasse on the contentious issue of release of water from the Maharashtra dams in the summer months.
In 2018, Maharashtra government had stopped release of water during summer, and had asked Karnataka to enter into a water exchange agreement. Karnataka had been paying money for around two to 3tmcft of water that was released by the neighbouring state every year.
A source privy to details of the discussion confirmed to TOI that Jarkiholi had been keen on devising a mechanism that could help mitigate damage wrought by floods. The meeting comes amid the monsoon intensifying in both states and inflow to all dams rising.