The Hindu : Krishna waters: State caught in a cleft stick

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 17, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

Krishna waters: State caught in a cleft stick

By M.Madan Mohan

HUBLI Dec. 16. Relations between Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, which have been under strain over the sharing of Krishna waters, have entered an interesting phase.

Andhra Pradesh wants water from the Alamatti Dam, a component of the Upper Krishna Project, whose height led to a controversy with the neighbouring State moving the Supreme Court.

An Andhra Pradesh delegation, led by K. Srihari, is arriving in Bangalore on Tuesday for talks on water release from the dam.

This is the first time that Andhra Pradesh has made a request to Karnataka for water, and it comes in the year when water has been impounded to the full reservoir level of 519 metres, which has been permitted by the Supreme Court.

Andhra Pradesh, which was using the unutilised water in the river being a lower riparian State in terms of the provisions of the Bachawat Award, felt the pinch when Karnataka impounded the water to the full height of the dam. Karnataka is in a piquant situation now. Karnataka waited for one year after the full height of the dam was raised and decided to impound water to the maximum level.

This was done mainly to prove that it could impound water fully, and there was no plan on using it because the distribution system to convey water to the field is yet to be ready.

Karnataka has no use for the water as far as meeting the irrigation needs goes. It has become difficult to turn down Andhra Pradesh's plea as that State wants water to meet the drinking water needs and also for irrigation.

The question that is bothering Karnataka and those well-versed in the irrigation sector is whether this will create a precedent if any contingency happens to arise in the future. Karnataka has moved the Union Government seeking a new tribunal for adjudicating disputes on sharing of the Krishna waters.

One of the points raised by Karnataka is a stay on the execution of the five projects being implemented by Andhra Pradesh for utilising the surplus water.

Andhra Pradesh has also made a plea to the Union Government for a new tribunal. It has also sought a share of the unutilised water from the allocations made to Karnataka and Maharashtra by the Bachawat Tribunal for its use.

If this plea were to be upheld by the proposed tribunal, Karnataka is likely to lose around 200 tmcft. of water from the allocated 734 tmcft. of water. And releasing water to Andhra Pradesh at this juncture would result in the State Government confirming its failure to fully utilise the allocated share.

Getting power from Andhra Pradesh for releasing water may bring a temporary advantage to Karnataka.

Sources say that Karnataka should utilise the opportunity for sorting out its problems. The one area in which a definite commitment should be obtained from Andhra Pradesh is the protection of its share of allocation made by the Bachawat Tribunal under Scheme `A.'

The two sides should also strive towards arriving at an understanding for sharing of the surplus water along with Maharashtra over and above the allocation already made, the utilisation of the same notwithstanding. Karnataka and Maharashtra are said to be in deficit in utilisation.

History has it that it is Andhra Pradesh that has been stalling for one reason or the other a permanent solution to the problems of sharing the Krishna waters. The Bachawat Tribunal would have notified the Scheme `B' for sharing surplus water had Andhra Pradesh not objected to it.

During Veerendra Patil's second stint as Chief Minister in 1989, Karnataka had taken the initiative to arrive at a negotiated settlement over sharing of the surplus waters, but it was Andhra Pradesh which damaged the efforts after two rounds of meetings between the chief ministers of the three riparian States.

Whether the two sides will set aside politics and address the larger issues involved than restricting themselves to the immediate problem remains to be seen.

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