Telangana urges KRMB to stop AP from drawing water to HNSS project
Hyderabad: The State government has urged the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) to stop Andhra Pradesh from drawing any water to Handri Neeva Sujala Sravanti (HNSS) project till Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II (KWDT-II) finalizes the share of water. It also requested the KRMB to stop all construction activity taken up in violation of Andhra Pradesh […]
Hyderabad: The State government has urged the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) to stop Andhra Pradesh from drawing any water to Handri Neeva Sujala Sravanti (HNSS) project till Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II (KWDT-II) finalizes the share of water. It also requested the KRMB to stop all construction activity taken up in violation of Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act (APRA)-2014.
Srisailam project was conceived as a hydro-electric project in 1959 by erstwhile Andhra Pradesh. It was sanctioned by Planning Commission in 1964 as hydro-electric project only. No diversion of water to outside basin is allowed from it by KWDT-I. But the government in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh unauthorizedly took up HNSS for drawing water from Srisailam. This needs to be restrained forth with, said C Muralidhar, Engineer-in-Chief of Telangana Irrigation department, in a letter to KRMB Chairman.
The Srisailam project’s purpose was to discharge water through power generation to fill Nagarjuna Sagar Project (NSP) which would be utilized as per the need from there. Planning Commission clearance given to Srisailam Hydro Electric Project in 1964 was based on the note of Central Water and Power Commission estimation that 264 TMC of water should be released from Srisailam Hydro Electric Project to NSP for its needs.
Muralidhar said both KWDT-I and KWDT-II stipulated restrictions on utilization of water by Andhra Pradesh in Tungabhadra sub-basin so that it will contribute substantial flows to main stem Krishna. However, contrary to the spirit of the Awards of both the Tribunals, AP is diverting Krishna water to outside Krishna basin areas in Penna Basin and beyond it.
As per project submitted before KWDT-I, the HNSS was conceived for lifting 40 TMC of water from foreshore of Srisailam reservoir at Malyala and diverting to outside basin to serve areas in Pennar basin and in basins beyond Pennar, as far as 700 km away, up to Niva river and Kuppam Mandal in Chittoor district which are at the border of AP and Tamil Nadu.
While KWDT-II did not concede to the demand for water allocation from Tungabhadra River to Tungabhadra Project High Level Canal (TBPHLC), the HNSS is diverting Krishna waters to the areas in and around TBPHLC command and passing over it to serve further areas in Penna basin and much beyond it in other basins.
Some part of HNSS diversions also serve Tungabhadra sub-basin which is also against the Tribunal Awards on which Telangana views are already communicated. As is widely accepted, Krishna is a deficit basin and diverting water from it to outside basin while in basin areas adjacent to the river suffer from severe scarcity of water is highly objectionable and does not stand to any logic or principles.
The State government brought these concerns to the notice of KRMB but so far the works are not stalled by the AP government. Moreover, several new orders were issued to expand the canal capacity from 3850 cusecs to 6300 cusecs.
All these diversions will certainly affect the needs of Krishna basin areas of Telangana from Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar and these actions of AP would further be affected. While 3850 cusecs diversion is illegal and against the provisions of KWDT-I, taking up further enhancements is untenable and should not be allowed, Muralidhar explained.
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