Karnataka: Siltation reduces Almatti dam’s storage capacity by 7.55 tmcft, study finds
Bagalkot: A study conducted by the Karnataka Engineering Research Station (KERS) in 2023 has raised concerns over the notable loss of storage capacity at the Almatti Reservoir, which serves as a significant water source for the undivided Vijayapura and Kalyana Karnataka districts.
According to KERS, the Almatti dam has accumulated 7.556 tmcft of silt bringing down the water holding capacity of the reservoir to 115.552 tmcft as against its maximum storage of 123.081 tmcft, as reported by Deccan Herald on Monday.
The KERS, in a report to the state government, has claimed that the water holding capacity of Almatti dam has gone down by 6.1 percent since its commissioning over two decades ago.
K.G. Mahesh, the Director of KERS, explained that the study was carried out over three months, covering 487 square kilometers of the backwaters of the Almatti reservoir to the Hippargi barrage. The research team employed an echo sound system fitted on a boat, which used sound waves to measure the extent of silt deposition at the reservoir’s bottom. “Based on the echo, the quantum of silt deposition can be measured using software uploaded in the machine. The data extracted by the machine was analysed and a report on the same was submitted to the government,” DH quoted him as saying.
Despite the reduced storage capacity, officials from Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigam Limited (KBJNL) have reportedly assured that the drop in water holding capacity will not lead to a water shortage for irrigation or power generation.
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SC to hear pleas for reviewing wages of priests, temple staff
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a plea to constitute a judicial commission or an expert committee to review the wages and other benefits given to priests, 'sevadars' and temple staff in state-controlled temples.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta is likely to hear the PIL filed by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay.
The plea, filed through advocate Ashwani Dubey, seeks directions to the Centre and states to constitute a judicial commission or an expert committee to review the remuneration and other benefits given to the priests and temple staff in state-controlled temples.
"Petitioner also seeks a declaration that priests and temple staff are employee' under Section 2(k) of the Code on Wages, 2019. Petitioner submits that once the State assumes the administrative, economic and financial control over temples, an employer-employee relationship arises and denial of dignified wages to priests and temple staff violates the right to livelihood guaranteed under Article 21," it said.
Upadhyay said the cause of action accrued on April 4, when he went to Varanasi to attend a public programme and after performing 'Rudrabhishek' in the Kashi Vishwanath temple, which is controlled by the state, he came to know that even the minimum wages to live with dignity are not given to the priests and temple staff.
"Recently, in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, priests and temple staff organised a large-scale protest demanding the minimum wages. Priests and temple staff are not getting even the minimum wage prescribed by the State for unskilled and semi-skilled workers. This is a systemic exploitation. State is acting as a model employer through the endowments department, but violating the minimum wages Act and the directive principles of state policy (Article 43)," it said.
The plea further said the continued refusal to meet the minimum wages with the 2026 inflation-adjusted cost of living index has forced the petitioner to seek judicial intervention to prevent the further marginalisation of priests and temple staff.
Upadhyay further said the precarious nature of livelihood was starkly exposed on February 7, 2025, when a Tamil Nadu department issued a circular at the 'Dandayuthapani Swami Temple' in Madurai, strictly prohibiting priests from accepting 'dakshina' in 'aarti plates'.
"It is necessary to state that priests in such temples often receive no formal salary from the State and rely entirely on 'Dakshina'; the State's administrative order directly threatened them with starvation. Although withdrawn due to public outrage, the incident highlights the State's arbitrary power over the survival of the priests. This is also a bitter truth that States are controlling lakhs of temples but not a single mosque or church," the PIL claimed.
The petition, alternatively, sought direction to the Centre and states to take appropriate steps for the welfare of priests, sevadars and other temple staff in the spirit of the Allahabad High Court's earlier judgments.
