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Economy
The River Krishna is very important for the economically development of
this region. Krishna Basin extends over an area of 258,948 square kilometres (99,980 sq mi) which is nearly 8% of total geographical area of the country. The
basin lies in the states of Andhra Pradesh (113,271 km²), Karnataka (76,252 km²) and Maharashtra (69,425 km²).
The important soil types found in the basin are black soils, red soils, laterite and lateritic soils, alluvium, mixed soils,
red and black soils and saline and alkaline soils. The delta of the river is one of the most fertile regions in India.
Ecology
The Mangrove forests in the Krishna estuary have
been declared as the Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary. The sanctuary is the home to the large number of resident and migratory birds. Fishing cat,
otter, Estuarine crocodile, spotted deer, sambar, black buck </animals/mammals/black-buck.html>, snake, lizards and jackal can also
be spotted in the sanctuary. The sanctuary also supports rich vegetation with plants like Rhizophora, Avicennia, and Aegiceros.
Tributaries of River Krishna
The most important tributary of Krishna river is the Tungabhadra River , which is formed by the Tunga River and Bhadra River
( originate in the Western Ghats) . Other tributaries include the Venna River , Koyna River , Bhima River ( its tributaries such as the Kundali River feeding
into the Upper Bhima River Basin), Malaprabha River , Ghataprabha River, Yerla River, Warna River, Dindi River, Paleru River , Musi River
and Dudhganga River.
The rivers Venna ,Koyna , Vasna, Panchganga ,Dudhganga,
Ghataprabha, Malaprabha and Tungabhadra join Krishna river from the right bank; while the Yerla River, Musi River,
The river Maneru and river Bhima join the Krishna river from the left bank.
Three tributaries meet Krishna river near Sangli . Warana River meets Krishna river near Sangli at Haripur.This
spot is also known as Sangameshwar . Panchganga River meets Krishna river at Narsobawadi near Sangli.
Environment Protection
The pollution in River Krishna is increasing and it is dying at an increasing rate.
The river receives the waste from the large number of cities including Hyderabad, Pune, Satara, Kolhapur,
Kurnool and many more. The sewages from the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad flows into it. Large number of industrial
units operates from the river basin which are the main reason for the water pollution in the Krishna river.
Maharashtra government released 300 cusecs of water from Varana
reservoir into Krishna river on Monday evening. It had released 600 cusecs of water on May 5, 2012 evening from Rajapur barrage into the river
and on May 7, 2012 evening the government released 1,600 cusecs of water into Krishna river.
Maharashtra government’s decision to release water by setting aside all
controversies is expected to be an initiative to build healthy relations with Karnataka. Sensing problems faced in drought hit areas of North Karnataka, the mentioned
delegation approached Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan last month. They tried convincing him to facilitate 5 TMC ft of
water to Karnataka for tackling the drought, but he agreed to provide 2 TMC ft.
Bridges on Krishna river
The big bridges on Krishna river are
* Krishna Bridge, Wai - Krishna Bridge
is one of the old bridges bulit by the British period. This bridge is built in the black rock with the attractive 9 kaman's.
* Irwin Bridge, Sangli - This is one of the oldest, historic and largest bridges built on river Krishna during the British rule. This
Bridge is built of Red colored stone and has two passages to climb down in the middle of the bridge and view the river water. The Ex Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Late Shri Vasantdada Patil who led
the freedom struggle in Western Maharashtra himself jumped into river Krishna from Irwin Bridge when he was chased by the British army.
* Ankali Bridge, Sangli - This is also one of the oldest bridges built during the British rule. This bridge connects
Maharashtra to Karnataka state. |
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Krishna Phase-III overcomes financial hurdle
The supply of water from the Krishna river to the city and
the peripheral areas of Greater Hyderabad will commence within 18 months
after the financial roadblocks are resolved, said officials.
The prestigious Krishna drinking water supply project phase-III, which
faced a major roadblock in securing Rs 1,500 crore financial assistance
from Hudco, has now been cleared after several rounds of talks, officials informed.
Krishna river bund is to get a facelift
Krishna river bund in the city is likely to get a facelift as Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy agreed to sanction Rs 100 crore
to construct a retaining wall at a stretch of 2.7 km along the river bund.
In addition, the VGTM urban development authority also proposed construction of a check dam
downstream of Prakasam barrage at Yenamalakuduru to preserve water during rainy season and to promote
water sports in the city. If both the projects materialise the Krishna river bund would get a facelift.
The encroachments in the river bed increased and during the rainy season
officials are facing a tough task to evacuate the encroachers. The low-lying areas of
Ramalingeswaranagar, Gitanagar, Ranigarithota are getting inundated every year during rainy
season and officials are forced to evacuate thousands of people.
Absence of turbine cost state Rs. 1,275 cr
The Comptroller and Auditor General has pointed out that not constructing reverse turbines on the weir across the Krishna river,
which was to be part of the Srisailam left bank canal project, has cost the state Rs. 1,275 crore between 2002 and 2006.
The reverse turbines would have allowed water to be re-used for power generation, ensuring
the generation of another 900 MW even during low flow and summer months.
The weir project could not be completed because AP Genco did not take prior permission of the forest and other departments. This
resulted in an increased cost of power totallingRs. 1,500 crore, which Genco proposed passing on to the consumer. |
