Tensions escalate again over Nagarjuna Sagar Project control and surveillance

Efforts made for restoration of the CCTV camera network on the 13 gates of the AP stretch of the Nagarjuna Sagar Dam thwarted

Hyderabad: It has been nearly one year since the confrontation between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana over the operational control of the Nagarjuna Sagar Project, which was statutorily assigned to Telangana under the State Reorganisation Act.

Despite efforts to defuse the situation, tensions continue to escalate. Adding a fresh flare-up to the situation, efforts made for restoration of the CCTV camera network on the 13 gates of the AP stretch of the Nagarjuna Sagar Dam were thwarted.

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The cameras were allegedly smashed by the security personnel engaged by AP causing a setback for surveillance and water management. The damage to the CCTV equipment, valued at Rs 40 lakh, raised serious concerns about the dam’s security and the monitoring of water resources.

Even the weekly appraisal of water drawl made by the two States from the project conducted by the officials from both States, had become increasingly contentious. Telangana engineers, who travel to the AP end of the dam to take water readings, are reportedly being obstructed, adding to the tensions in executing this routine exercise.

These issues have been taken up with the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB), which oversees the management and distribution of water resources in the Krishna basin. With AP has reverted to its earlier tactics of disrupting cooperative project management, friction is being built up once again between the two States.

The efforts being made to restore the surveillance cameras are being thwarted. Despite these challenges being taken up with the KRMB, a concrete action plan has yet to be formulated. The project needs to be entirely under the operational control of Telangana, demand irrigation officials from the State.

On November 29, 2023, AP police descended on the dam site, causing considerable damage to the infrastructure and blocking the passage from the Telangana end to the AP stretch. They occupied 13 of the gates on its side calling for the intervention of the Union Home Secretary who called for the status quo to be restored. As per his directions the project’s operational control should be handed over to Telangana. However, this has not yet happened.

The Telangana government plans to make a strong case for regaining control of the project at the upcoming Krishna River Management Board meeting, originally scheduled for November 21, but postponed at the request of the AP government.