The Apex Council on river water-sharing between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh has resolved to constitute a joint team of engineers to study the availability of water in the Krishna river. It has also decided to install telemetric equipment at all major projects to assess the drawl of water by the two States and request the Krishna Tribunal to make proportionate allocation of water.
The council resolved to allocate water to the two States, based on the findings of the the high-power team comprising senior officials from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana as well as the Central Water Commission.
“We will request the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal to make proportionate allocation to the two States based on the report,” Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti told reporters in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Ms. Bharti convened the first meeting of the Apex Council, mandated by the provisions of the A.P. Reorganisation Act, 2014, on Wednesday.
Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and senior officials of the Irrigation department participated in the over two-hour meeting convened to resolve the impasse.
The Union Minister said discussions were held in a cordial manner and a broad consensus was arrived at on three major issues. The meeting had been convened to resolve the disputes between the two States through dialogue and their representatives had presented their points of view during the interaction.
She recalled that a proposal had been made during the erstwhile NDA government to evolve a national water policy. Another proposal had been made to place river waters in the Concurrent List.
“There is a need to evolve a mechanism relating to sharing of water in an amicable manner between the States,” she said adding that issues relating to water-sharing between Maharashtra and Karnataka were also discussed.
