KWDT-II proceedings: Only 15% of Telangana’s cultivable land receives assured irrigation, 95% in Andhra Pradesh

Advocates for greater efficiency in water usage, aligning with national policy of 'more crop per drop'

Hyderabad: As part of its arguments before the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II on Friday, Telangana argued that rainfall variability and uncertainty has been making crop production unviable in the State and it needed at least one irrigation cycle for dry crops to sustain farmers and labourers in backward areas.

The state highlighted disparities in water allocation, stating that only 15 per cent of Telangana’s cultivable land was receiving assured irrigation in the Krishna basin, compared to 95 per cent in Andhra Pradesh. The State has urged the tribunal to rectify this imbalance.

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Further, Telangana advocated for greater efficiency in water usage, aligning with the national policy of ‘more crop per drop’. The State cited its ongoing projects, which extend irrigation to 12,800 acres per TMC, compared to Andhra Pradesh’s 8,400 acres per TMC, and requested that AP adopt effective methods to save on water and the savings be reallocated to Telangana.

Referring to the KWDT-I Award, Telangana reiterated that future water allocations should prioritize inside-basin projects over outside-basin diversions. The State criticised the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh government for reallocating water savings to the SRBC project instead of the SLBC project, which is inside the basin.

Telangana demanded a revision of SRBC allocations in line with KWDT-I directives. It highlighted how the SLBC project was deprived of water allocation, while the Jurala project was placed in the second priority set.

It pointed out that the KC Canal and Krishna Delta System (KDS) projects, serving outside-basin areas, were prioritised for dependable water allocation, whereas SLBC was categorised under surplus water projects.

Telangana also reminded the tribunal of KWDT-I’s earlier observations, which acknowledged that historical allocations favoured Andhra Pradesh, leaving Telangana in need of irrigation.

The tribunal had previously allocated 17.84 TMC to the Jurala Project, recognising Telangana’s irrigation needs. It has scheduled further hearings on Telangana’s arguments for July 23 to July 25.