Ahead of the visit of the emissary of the Apex Council constituted under the A.P. State bifurcation law to resolve river water disputes between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the TS Government on Sunday proposed negotiations between the two States to settle the contention of Andhra Pradesh on water use. Andhra Pradeh contends that it was entitled to use entire quantity of 60 tmc ft available in Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar reservoirs for the current rabi season.
The emissary is scheduled to meet representatives of both governments here on Wednesday.
Telangana Government Irrigation Advisor R. Vidyasagar Rao told a press conference that, if the negotiations indeed take place, his side would present recorded evidence to show that Andhra Pradesh had used 37 tmc ft water in excess of its entitlement. Andhra Pradesh had spent 360 tmc ft while it was entitled to only 323 tmc ft from the two reservoirs, he said.
He observed that as though that was not sufficient, AP was making "a false claim" to the present storage of 60 tmc ft. Its Government was flooding Water Resources Ministry with letters that Telangana should not be allowed to draw any more water.
Mr. Rao argued that Telangana was entitled to 70 to 80 tmc ft, as of now and hoped that the Central Government would concede its request, though that much quantity of water was not available. He also denied AP's claim that its yield below Nagarjunasagar was 18.9 tmc ft and that it was supposed to get 101.2 tmc ft from the project.
Telangana Government's stand was that A.P. had already utilised 101.2 tmc ft from the intervening catchment between Nagarjunsagar and Prakasam barrage through Musi, Palair and Munneru rivers. Andhra Pradesh was eligible for only 60 tmc ft from Nagarjunasagar which it had already used up, he pointed out.
