Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil on Wednesday accused the Karnataka government of not releasing water from the Almatty dam, which could cause floods in 2 districts of Maharashtra.

"The flooding of Sangli and Kolhapur is a direct result of the water being stored in the Almatty dam in excess of the allowed capacity," Patil said.

The 2 districts are catchment areas of the Krishna river and not releasing water from the Almatty dam could result in floods there due to accumulation of water.

Terrible Tuesday: Mumbai copes with a calamity

"The Karnataka government has flouted the agreement reached at the time of allowing the construction of Almatty dam, by storing excess water," Patil told reporters at Mantralaya.

While the Maharashtra government had requested the Karnataka government to release 5 lakh cusecs of water from the Almatty dam, only 4 lakh cusecs had been released from it.

"Today, we are requesting Karnataka to release 6 lakh cusecs of water from the Almatty dam and help avoid the disastrous consequences of the Almatty dam's back water for the people of Sangli and Kolhapur districts," he said.

The issue is now being discussed at the highest level and prime minister Manmohan Singh [Images] is involved in this discussion along with Union Agricultural Minister Sharad Pawar [Images], Patil said.

He said he would also speak to the Governor S M Krishna, who also happens to be a former Karnataka Chief Minister, on the issue.
Terrible Tuesday: Mumbai copes with a calamity
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