Former minister T B Jayachandra urged the state government to release Hemavathi river water for drinking water projects on priority.
In a press release, the former minister said that the administration has released the share of water till December in 2019. The district administration should make arrangements for the drinking water for the coming four months, he said.
Nearly, 24.83 TMC of water was shared for the drinking and the agriculture schemes. In 2019-20, only 18 TMC of water was released to the district. As agreed, the remaining 6.83 TMC of water should be released in the second week of April, he demanded.
As of now, nearly 15 to 16 TMC of water is being stored in the Hemavathi reservoir. Rainfall was very less in the year 2019-20. People in Chikkanayakanahalli, Gubbi, Sira, Madhugiri, Pavagada are facing a severe water crisis.