State pins hopes on tribunal to raise dam height

HUBLI: With the rejection of Andhra Pradesh government's proposal to conduct a resurvey of Almatti dam by the Krishna Water Tribunal, the elated people of Karnataka, especially those in north Karnataka, have pinned hopes on the tribunal to give a verdict in favour of the state to increase the dam height from 519.6 m to 524.2 m.There has been an inter-state dispute between the state and APgovernments over the height of the dam and sharing of Krishna river waters formany years. Andhra government had initiated a legal battle against the state,"alleging" the latter of raising the dam height to 520.2 m (as against thespecified 519.6 m) and "illegally" storing 12 tmcft water.Bagalkot-based Great Trigonometrical Survey had conducted the survey of the dam from the sea level and put its height at 519.6 m in 1965. JTS Survey Company of Muddebihal had also confirmed the same. But the Andhra government, without considering these reports, had argued with the tribunal against the state over the "increased" height. Its argument was based on a report of Delhi-based Tejo Vikas Institute, which had conducted the survey in hydrographic method and put the height at 520.2 m. But the tribunal rejected the Andhra's proposal.