: Unless the two Telugu States got together to fight against Maharashtra and Karnataka that are allowing construction of “unauthorised” new projects on Krishna River both would face severe water problems, Minister for Water Resources Devineni Umamaheswara Rao has said.
Addressing the media on Saturday, the Minister said that Telangana should also drop the Palamuru Ranga Reddy and Dindi Lift Irrigation projects on river Krishna as they would adversely affect the lower riparian reaches in Andhra Pradesh and also a couple of districts in Telangana State too. There will no water to be released into the Srisailam Left Bank Canal which runs for a length of 178 km to irrigate 4,19,820 acres in Nalgonda, Khammam districts of Telangana, Krishna and West Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh. The Minister was reportedly responding to Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s suggestion that the Telugu states should adopt a “give and take” approach, stop indulging in “petty squabbles” over everything and share the waters of the Godavari equitably. The Telangana Chief Minister made the suggestion at a public meeting in Bhadrachalam on Friday.
Mr Umamaheswara Rao said Telangana should not go ahead with the Palamuru Ranga Reddy and the Dindi LI projects which lacked approval from the Central Water Commission (CWC), and the Krishna River Management Board and therefore were unauthorised . All the States through which the river flows should share the water available on a pro rata basis, he said.
The people of the Telugu States should fight for what was due to them together. He recalled how Telangana leaders said that after bifurcation the people of the two Telugu States should live like brothers.
Asked what the Andhra Pradesh government was doing about the two lift irrigation Projects, the Minister said the Farmers’ Apex Committee had challenged the projects in the Supreme Court claiming they were illegal. The Supreme Court had sent notices to the Centre, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to appear as respondents for a hearing in the third week of this month.
‘No time to lose’
He said unless A.P. and Telangana worked together and put pressure on the Central Government and properly argued cases in the Supreme Court on unauthorised irrigation projects on Krishna River and the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal recommendations, they stand to lose because the upper riparian States would get undue benefit. The lower riparian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana would face severe shortage of water not only for irrigation, but also for drinking the Minister said.
Asked if seven villages of Telangana that were merged with Andhra Pradesh would be returned as was being claimed by the Telangana government, Mr. Umamaheswara Rao said there was no such proposal.
