Overview

• Karnataka ministers M.B. Patil and G. Parameshwara have called Maharashtra’s concerns unfounded, noting that tribunals, Parliament and the Supreme Court have already approved raising the full reservoir level from 519.6 m to 524.256 m
• Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has formally petitioned Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Paatil to bar any height increase until the National Institute of Hydrology’s pending hydrodynamic study on backwater impacts is complete
• Fadnavis warned that an extra six metres of water could sustain higher river levels and intensify recurring floods in Sangli and Kolhapur districts by worsening silt accumulation
• Karnataka officials argue the dam height boost is critical to store their full share of Krishna River water amid insufficient existing reservoirs
• No gazette notification has been issued since 2013, leaving implementation of long-standing tribunal and Supreme Court rulings dependent on the central government’s upcoming decision