Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has sent across a subtle message, through his presentation on irrigation projects in the Telangana Assembly, to the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh that the two States could prosper by having cordial relations on all issues, including utilisation of river waters.
“I compliment AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu for completing Pattiseema project for utilising Godavari water, otherwise flowing waste into the sea, on a priority basis before completion of Polavaram project. Instead of fighting among ourselves on petty issues, we (the two States) could first settle outstanding issues with upper riparian States to achieve our allocated share”, Mr. Rao said on Thursday.
It was time to realise that both AP and Telangana could not do anything over 450 barrages and lifts constructed by Karnataka and Maharashtra on the Krishna and the Godavari and their tributaries and think how to make best use of available water from sources which still have good quantity of water. “That’s the reason why Telangana has decided to adopt the policy of ‘live and let live’ with give and take attitude with neighbours and complete all pending projects”, he stated.
“During my visit to Vijayawada recently to invite Mr. Naidu for Ayutha Chandi Yagam, I have even suggested him that AP can explore taking surplus in Godavari from Polavaram till Srikalahasti and Nayudupeta in the south and till Visakhapatnam in the north since the average annual availability of water was over 2,630 TMC ft there,” he recollected.
Stating that ongoing and upcoming projects in Telangana could sustain only on water from Pranahita, Indravati and few other rivulets, the Chief Minister said availability of water at Tummidihatti was 1,144.8 TMC ft, at Kaleshwaram it was 1,651 TMC ft and at Thupakulagudem it was 2,430 TMC ft. He sought to know how the Congress government in the past had planned to complete Pranahita-Chevella project with only 11.43 TMC ft storage capacity to serve 16.4 lakh acres ayacut and asked whether redesigning was necessary or not. Similarly, he pointed out environmental issues linked with Tummidihatti, Indirasagar, Rajivsagar and other projects. Maharashtra Government had given its consent informally for 148 meter FRL for Tummidihatti and 100 meter FRL for Medigadda but Telangana was pursuing one more meter for the latter for mutual benefit.
He ridiculed the Congress argument to keep Indirasagar, Rajivsagar designs with the head works of the first project located in AP and second one entangled in environmental issues with about Rs.750 crore already spent acquiring electromechanical implements like pipes and pump-sets, lying waste in the open for years.
