Bommai, Sharad Pawar discuss Maha-K'taka water dispute

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and veteran Maharashtra leader and National Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Friday discussed streamlining of sharing information on interstate water resources data on a real-time basis to mitigate floods in both the states.

Both state governments have entered an agreement to set up data-sharing platforms for better water management of the Krishna river basin and Bhima river.

Sources in the Karnataka Irrigation Department told IANS that there are still some more hiccups which need to be sorted out. "Although we are in regular touch with our counterparts, we need a 'political will' from both states to resolve certain hiccups," a source said but declined to elaborate on what those hiccups were.

Another source in the Irrigation Department stated that Karnataka is worried about the ongoing water dispute between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, which was carved out from undivided Andhra Pradesh in 2014.

"Since then there is a need for other states which share Krishna river to reorganise and fight with these two states which are trying their best to seek more share. Hence, CM Bommai may have informally trying to muster support from Maharashtra leaders," the source said.

After the "unscheduled cordial meeting", the Karnataka Chief Minister's office, in a statement, said that both leaders deliberated on issues concerning water dispute between states.


"Our aim is to resolve every possible dispute through the talks. In this direction, we held discussions," the statement quoted Bommai as saying.

On his part, Pawar, in a tweet, said: "On my visit to Bangalore, I got a call from Karnataka CM Shri Bommai who expressed his wish to meet me. Keeping the respect of his position in mind, I decided to go and pay a courtesy call on him. @cmofkarnataka @bsbommai #bangalorevisit."-IANS