KRMB to meet today amid flak for ignoring water crisis, focusing only on incentives

KRMB’s 20th special meeting today has come under fire for focusing solely on staff incentives, ignoring the intensifying Andhra Pradesh-Telangana Krishna water dispute. Critics urge the board to prioritise core responsibilities affecting lakhs, especially farmers, over internal pay matters

Hyderabad: The Krishna River Management Board (KRMB), tasked with resolving the protracted water-sharing dispute between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, is facing sharp criticism for prioritising internal staff incentives over the deepening river water crisis.

The board is scheduled to hold its 20th special meeting on Friday, but the only item on the agenda is a staff incentive scheme introduced in 2020. Under the scheme, KRMB employees were paid a 25 per cent bonus on their basic pay, citing the inter-State nature of their work. These payments were made from October 2020 to December 2022.

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However, in early 2023, the Department of Water Resources (DoWR) ordered a halt to these payments and directed that already disbursed incentives be returned. KRMB’s chairman implemented the order in March 2023, but the board had not formally approved it, prompting employees to move the Telangana High Court.

In February 2025, the court ruled that while the staff need not return the incentives paid, future payments could not be made. Subsequently, DoWR asked KRMB to take a final stance on the matter. Based on legal advice, the board opted not to challenge the court’s decision.

The inclusion of this staff-related issue as the sole agenda item has triggered strong backlash. Critics argue that KRMB should focus on the more pressing water-sharing concerns that directly affect the lives and livelihoods of people in both States, especially farmers.

KRMB operates with fewer than 200 personnel at its Jala Soudha office in Hyderabad, comprising staff drawn from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and the Department of Jal Shakti.

Since the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014, Telangana has consistently demanded a 50:50 share of Krishna river water, challenging the current 512:299 TMC allocation in Andhra Pradesh’s favour.

A water management expert commented: “KRMB is busy fighting over the incentive, which could be resolved through internal prioritisation. It cannot be the sole issue on the agenda of a special session of the board.”

However, the board’s meeting procedures allow the chairman to approve discussion of additional issues if any member proposes them during the session.