Pothireddypadu may siphon out 80,000 cusecs per day

Unauthorised expansion of the project will irreversibly compromise interests of Telangana

Hyderabad: The illegal Pothireddypadu Head Regulator Project and its unauthorised expansion by Andhra Pradesh will irreversibly compromise the interests and rights of Telangana since the head regulator built to take 1,500 cusecs initially is now being expanded to siphon out 80,000 cusecs per day from the depths of the Srisailam project.

The Pothireddypadu Head Regulator was approved for a capacity of 1,500 cusecs to provide drinking water to Chennai. However, the Government of the combined State compromising the interest of Telangana constructed it with a capacity of 11,150 cusecs and subsequently enhanced it to 44,000 cusecs, even though the matter was sub-judice before Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal (KWDT-II), and did not have any prior sanction.

“Now they are further expanding it illegally to 80,000 cusecs to transfer Krishna waters to outside basin areas, into Pennar,” Sridhar Rao Deshpande, OSD (Irrigation) CMO of Telangana told Telangana Today. Even with the existing capacity of 44,000 cusecs, Andhra Pradesh has so far lifted 179 tmc of water outside the basin, he said adding that the Chief Minister will raise this issue prominently at the Apex Council meeting on Tuesday.

Principal Secretary Irrigation and Command Area Development Rajat Kumar said that despite the directions of the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) on February 5, 2020 asking AP to submit the details of the project, the State has not responded in that regard. In the meanwhile, on May 5, 2020, the State issued a GO giving administrative sanction to the project.

With the proposed new projects, the AP government intends to withdraw 8 tmc of water every single day adversely impacting the interests of inhabitants of the State of Telangana, Rajat Kumar argued in a three page letter dashed to Chairman KRMB on May 12, 2020. “Srisailam reservoir being a common project, State of AP cannot plan or initiate any additional diversion of water without informing or consulting the State of Telangana. It is not expected of a responsible State in the Federation of India, to conduct its affairs in this manner,” Rajat Kumar noted.

Rajat Kumar, said the proposed Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme was illegal and in contravention of Section 84 of the AP Reorganisation Act, since such projects can be initiated only with the prior approval of the apex council consisting of Union Minister for Water Resources and Chief Ministers of both the States. The Telangana government said it was brought to the notice of the Board through a letter on January 29, 2020, that there were reports of proposed new projects in AP without following the statutory mandate of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014. The Board in turn had dashed off a letter to the AP government on April 2, 2020 asking it to furnish the details of the projects. Till date, the AP government has not responded with details of the project, he said.

Meanwhile, the Irrigation Department of AP proceeded with proposals of new projects by issuing a GO (203) on May 5, 2020, giving administrative sanction to various components costing Rs 6,829.15 crore, envisaging a new project for installation of a pumping system in Srisailam reservoir to draw 3 tmc water per day located near Sangameswaram to be let into Srisailam Right Main Canal (SRMC) from Pothireddypadu (PRP) Head Regulator. To utilise the new and additional water drawing system, the AP government also proposes to enhance the conveying capacity of various canals in Pennar basin.

Rajat Kumar said the AP government intends to enhance the total drawl capacity up to 8 tmc per day with the help of the proposed new projects. He said that this will adversely impact the interests of the people of Telangana. “Telangana is dependent on water from Srisailam reservoir for drinking needs of Hyderabad city, Mission Bhagiratha schemes in old Mahabubnagar, Nalgonda and Ranga Reddy districts, besides substantial irrigation requirements in Nagarjuna Sagar Left Bank Canal, AMR SLBC, Kalwakurthy Lift Irrigation Scheme, Palamuru RangaReddy Lift Irrigation Scheme, Dindi LI Scheme and power generation under Srisailam Left Bank Power House,” he wrote.

Clandestine diversion of water

The Telangana government also said that AP has been taking undue advantage of the absence of Telemetry system at the PRP Head Regulator and diverting water outside the basin without any proper accounting. “Andhra Pradesh has been resorting to clandestine diversion of water through PRP by suppressing facts even before Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal -II, by enhancing the capacity of the PRP Head Regulator to 44,000 cusecs and creating a power channel to divert an additional 5,000 cusecs,” Rajat Kumar said. He added that these actions have been placed on record before KWDT-II and also before the Supreme Court through a Special Leave Petition. He further informed the Board that the present allocation ratio between the sibling States must be reversed in favour of Telangana for allocation of more than 575 tmc out of 811 tmc in Krishna.

Consider project on humanitarian grounds: Jagan

However, the Andhra Pradesh government urged the Telangana government to consider its proposed Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Project to lift water from Srisailam reservoir on humanitarian grounds. Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy says the water was meant to provide drinking water to Rayalaseema, Nellore and Prakasam districts.

“Because of the humanitarian nature of the then Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, the foundation for Palamuru Rangareddy and Dindi projects were made possible and Kalwakurthy and SLBC took shape. He always wished well for all Telugu people. When we plan to take water to provide drinking water, it is not right to object,” Jaganmohan Reddy said.

 

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