The Telangana government was said to be willing to partially concede the request of its Andhra Pradesh counterpart for release of water from Nagarjunasagar project to meet the drinking needs of the State though it made a tall claim for 5 to 6 tmc ft as the demand soared owing to summer.
Senior irrigation officials said nearly 2 tmc ft of water was already released to Andhra Pradesh for drinking purposes but the State had come up with a fresh demand for 5 to 6 tmc ft which might not be met. A small quantity of water will be definitely released, they added. The two States had been amicably resolving water issues since February 14 when their Chief Ministers met in the presence of Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan following a near clash between police forces of the State on Nagarjunasagar dam . However, the delay in framing guidelines for the Krishna river water management board was a matter of concern though it was set up eight months ago. The contentious issues between the States would have been solved if the board had teeth, sources said.
Meanwhile, irrigation officials of Telangana are forced to do a lot of balancing act to meet the demand of AP and provide a cushion to meet the drinking water requirement of Hyderabad at Nagarjunasagar till the end of summer. On the other hand, the water level at Srisailam was 805 ft which was just 5 ft higher than the minimum draw down level of 800 ft.
With just 14 tmc ft available in Nagarjunasagar and providing for evaporation losses, officials have a herculean task to prepare a contingency for Hyderabad till August in case of failure of initial phase of monsoon.
