KRMB calls for reduced water usage for hydropower generation

The KRMB has communicated this directive to the Engineers-in-Chief of both States, calling for measures to conserve water in both the Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar projects.

Hyderabad: The Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) has issued a directive to minimize water usage for hydropower generation, emphasizing the prioritization of irrigation and drinking water needs. This decision comes amidst ongoing disputes between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana over the utilization of Krishna River water for hydropower.

The KRMB has communicated this directive to the Engineers-in-Chief of both States, calling for measures to conserve water in both the Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar projects. The board has advised stopping water withdrawals through powerhouses and urged both States to restrain from excessive drawls through various outlets unless required to meet downstream needs, particularly for drinking water and irrigation.

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The Board has insisted that both States develop appropriate action plans to achieve this goal. Despite differing views from irrigation officials of both States—who believe that water used for hydel generation is reused for irrigation or drinking water—the KRMB’s directive aims to ensure efficient water management.

Currently, the inflows into the Srisailam project have dropped to zero, while the Nagarjuna Sagar dam is seeing inflows of 35,000 cusecs. The present storage in the Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar reservoirs stands at 180 TMC and 302 TMC, respectively, against their gross capacities of 312 TMC and 215 TMC.

As thermal power stations have become fully operational, efforts are being made to reduce water usage for hydel generation. The surplus flows in both reservoirs are being carefully managed to meet the primary needs of the downstream regions.