Raw deal: KRMB turns down Telangana’s plea for additional water

The KRMB also rejected its plea to consider 18.70 tmc of water (saved by the State from its previous water year share) as carryover part of water in the Nagarajuna Sagar Project

Hyderabad: The Krishna River Management Board has turned down a special request made by the State on February 1 for additional water for its utilisation up to July 31. The KRMB also rejected its plea to consider 18.70 tmc of water (saved by the State from its previous water year share) as carryover part of water in the Nagarajuna Sagar Project.

The State was asked to restrict its utilisation to 35 tmc allotted to it. Telangana, as claimed by the KRMB, has already utilised 31.17 tmc of water up to January 30. In case of considering an additional 8.90 TMC of water asked for meeting its drinking water needs till the end of May next, its utilisation would go up to 40.09 tmc as against the allotted share of 35 tmc, as per the water release order issued on October 9, 2023.

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At the same time, the State was directed to release 1,500 cusecs of water for 15 days to Andhra Pradesh (Zone III ayacut of) Nagarjuna Sagar left Canal from March 7.

The KRMB reminded that as per allotment, AP was given 45 tmc as against 35 tmc for Telangana out of the 82.788 tmc of water available in the storage of the two common projects for utilisation in the respective states from October 2023 to May 2024 as per the recommendations of the three member committee meeting held on October 6, 2023. A balance of only 2.788 tmc has been left with both the projects and it should be kept reserved for meeting emergency needs during the months of June and July 2024, it said.