Telangana dashes off 77 letters against AP projects, gets scant response

Telangana has dashed off as many as 77 letters from January 2020 to May 2023 opposing the AP projects sans approval

Hyderabad: Telangana, ever since it attained statehood, has been making persistent efforts to deal with challenging situations encountered in river water sharing with Andhra Pradesh. Denial of right share of waters, mainly in Krishna basin, has been a major issue.

It has made a strong case of the projects that Andhra Pradesh has been trying to go ahead sans due approvals. But it is increasingly finding it hard to get its voice heard, not to speak of the desired action on the illegal projects. The State has dashed off as many as 77 letters from January 2020 to May 2023 opposing the AP projects sans approval.

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Some of them were addressed to the Central Water Commission, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Ministry for Environment and Forests and even the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB).

But it has more or less drawn a blank in getting the agencies concerned into action mode. A majority of the letters were intended to draw the attention of the KRMB.

“Unfortunately, in spite of so many letters, KRMB could not restrain Andhra Pradesh from execution of the said works. All these works involving large diversions will seriously affect the needs of Krishna basin areas of Telangna state from Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar reservoirs,” regretted C Mularidhar, Enginer-in-Chief (General), in one of his letters addressed to the Chairman, KRMB.

New works of this nature costing over Rs.47,776 crore were taken up by Andhra Pradesh. They are all intended either to expand or add an enhanced component to the existing projects without approval and intended to divert water to projects outside the Krishna basin in violation of Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014, said a senior officer.

The State is alarmed with the way AP has been enhancing its drawls from the Srisailam projects through the Pothyreddypadu Head Regulator. The PothireddyPadu regulator and its canal system was being used for diverting water beyond the Krishna basin to feed projects which were taken up by Andhra Pradesh against the Krishna water Disputes Tribunal-I award provisions.

AP had taken up the enhancements to the head regulator, its canal system and Banakacharla Cross Regulator Complex for scaling up its drawls from 15000 cusecs to 44,000 cusecs. It was further enhanced subsequently to 88000 cusecs. AP is not entitled to draw over 2250 cusecs with the water level in the Srisailam project below 854 ft even during the monsoon period, said the officials.

The State has strongly opposed the unauthorized construction of Joladarasi reservoir with 0.8 tmc capacity across the Kundu river in Koilkuntla mandal of Andhra Pradesh. The issue was taken up with the KRMB also. Unauthorised construction of lift irrigation scheme intended to lift eight tmc of water from Kundu river has been an annoying issue for Telangana.

Some of the new projects as well as the addition of new components to the existing projects were opposed by the State as they are sought to be implemented impacting its share of waters. Besides Pothyreddypadu, the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme, SRBC, Guru Raghavendra project, Veligonda projects, and RDS Right canal also involved issues to be addressed in earnest.

AP has been diverting water to meet irrigation needs outsidethe Krishna basin under Galeru Nagari Sujala Sravanthi Project in violation of KWDT-I Award. It had sought to reallocate water to Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme (RDS) canal out of the regulated releases of 10 TMC to KC Canal from Tungabhadra dam. Telangana has taken up such issues of violation to the notice of KRMB. It was recorded in the minutes of the 16th meeting of the KRMB stating that such a reallocation is against the KWDT-I Award.

The sluices in RDS anicut are being kept open for fairly longer period by Andhra Pradesh to benefit its ayacut under KC canal and Gururaghavendra LIS. It is resulting in drastically reduced utilization of RDS Canal in Telangana.