Krishna River water: Interim arrangement to replace ad hoc sharing system

Telangana has been demanding water sharing at 50:50 ratio by scrapping the ad hoc arrangement that allowed 66 per cent of assured water to Andhra as against 34 per cent to Telangana

Hyderabad: Making a major departure from the ad hoc water sharing arrangement laid down nine years ago, the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) on Wednesday favoured need-based sharing of water between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The interim pattern proposed by it will be in place for the initial months of the new water year beginning from June 1.

The board, which met here on Wednesday, decided to seek the intervention of the Jal Shakti Ministry to hammer out a final agreement on water sharing acceptable for both the States. The three-member committee comprising the Board’s Member Secretary and engineers-in-chief of the two States will monitor water sharing basing on the indents placed by the respective States and water availability.

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Telangana has been demanding water sharing at 50:50 ratio by scrapping the ad hoc arrangement that allowed 66 per cent of assured water to Andhra as against 34 per cent to Telangana. Andhra Pradesh, however wanted no change in the present system of sharing till the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal delivered its final award.

Telangana officials insisted on permission to utilize 50 per cent of the 811 TMC allocated for the undivided State. Talking to newspersons after the meeting, Special Chief Secretary (Irrigation) Rajat Kumar said the 66:34 ratio sharing between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana would not be acceptable any longer. Telangana was formed with the avowed goal of addressing the raw deal meted out to it in water sharing.

Continuation of the same ad hoc water sharing arrangement any further would be against its interests, he said, pointing out that Telangana had its in-basin projects to be supported on priority while projects such as SLBC, Kalwakurthy and Nettempadu have become operational requiring an additional 105 TMC of water.

The State had made its stand clear to the KRMB last year also. Its demands were taken into cognizance as a note of dissent by the board. The objections raised by AP on other projects would be addressed at the appropriate fora at the right time. As far as the Sunkishala issue is concerned, he said the water being drawn was meant for supporting drinking water supply in Hyderabad and it required no further consent.