Telangana presents case as KWDT-II commences final arguments

State’s senior counsel CS Vaidyanathan highlights the historical context of Krishna basin and its sub-basins, explaining the changes in State boundaries

Hyderabad: The Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II (KWDT-II) on Wednesday commenced its final arguments with Telangana’s senior counsel CS Vaidyanathan presenting the State’s case. The tribunal, chaired by Justice Brijesh Kumar along with members Justice Ram Mohan Reddy and Justice S Talapatra, is set to hear arguments for three days.

Vaidyanathan provided a comprehensive overview of Telangana’s stance on the Krishna river water sharing issue. He highlighted the historical context of the Krishna basin and its sub-basins, explaining the changes in state boundaries post-1956 reorganization. He emphasized that many areas in Telangana, initially planned to be served by gravity-based irrigation schemes, were left unaddressed by the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh.

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Telangana argued that the current water allocation to its projects is insufficient and that an assured water supply would benefit approximately 80 lakh people in the Krishna basin. The counsel criticized the administrative arrangements made by the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh government, which he claimed were biased in favor of the Andhra region.

He also brought to the tribunal’s attention Andhra Pradesh’s plans to tap into Godavari waters and argued against the diversion of Krishna water to outside basin areas while in-basin areas suffer. He proposed that efficient water utilization based on scientific analysis could reduce water requirements and allocate savings to in-basin areas.

The counsel further explained the principles of equitable and reasonable utilization of inter-state river waters, citing international and national laws, tribunal awards, and Supreme Court verdicts. He stressed that water should be provided based on need, not greed, and criticized Andhra Pradesh for diverting 323 TMC of Krishna water to outside basin areas.

Telangana’s submission also highlighted additional water resources available to Andhra Pradesh from outside the Krishna basin, such as Polavaram, Pattiseema, and Chintalapudi Lift Irrigation Schemes, and called for Krishna water allocation to Telangana in lieu of these resources.

The tribunal will continue to hear arguments over the next few days, with Telangana seeking a fair and just resolution to the long-standing water dispute.