AP seeks to draw five TMC from the dead storage of NSP

AP sought emergency release of 5 TMC of water from the Nagarjuna Sagar Project to meet the drinking water needs in the Guntur, Palnadu, Bapatla and Prakasam districts.

Hyderabad: AP has sought emergency release of 5 TMC of water from the Nagarjuna Sagar Project to meet the drinking water needs in the Guntur, Palnadu, Bapatla and Prakasam districts.

A request letter to this effect was addressed to the Krishna River Management Board. The ENC of AP has sought permission from the Board to operate on its own the head regulator of the right main canal for drawing water from July 15 at a rate of 5500 cusecs for eleven days.

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As the chairman is not available readily, the board officials sought the opinion of the ENC, Telangana on the scope for considering release of water to AP. The water level in the Nagarajuna Sagar project already dipped below the minimum draw down level (MDDL) of the 510 feet sometime in May last.

The KRMB had allotted the water available above the critical off take level 500 feet to meet the drinking water needs of the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. The project is left with hardly two and a half tmc.

The water available in the project is being drawn engaging emergency pumping systems for over 20 days now. The KRMB is fully aware of the scarcity conditions prevailing in the command area of the project in Telangana. The Board could have straight away conveyed the ground reality to the AP authorities on the issue instead of referring the matter to the State again, said a senior engineer at Jal Soudha.

AP has made the request to KRMB as a formality after deciding on its own the schedule for drawl of water and it would be annoying for Telangana officials, he added.