The Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) has asked the Central government to intervene and stop Telangana and Andhra Pradesh from releasing water from the Srisailam reservoir on Krishna river in excess of what has been permitted.
The KRMB in a letter written on Friday asked the Centre to stop Telangana from releasing water from the Srisailam Left Bank Power House (SLBPH) and Andhra Pradesh from the Pothireddypadu Head Regulator (PHR), immediately.
The Board said Telangana, which had been permitted to release just 8 tmcft from the SLBPH, had released 28.414 tmcft, and Andhra Pradesh which was permitted to release 5 tmcft released 14.049 tmcft from the the PHR. The orders were issued on September 22.
The KRMB informed the Centre that it wrote letters to Telangana and A.P. to stop releasing water into the SLBPH and PHR respectively on September 27, but neither of them had responded.
Earlier complaint
This is not the first time that the KRMB had complained to the Centre over water release. Member Secretary Samir Chatterjee in a letter dated April 13, 2017, wrote to the Union Water Resources Secretary that Telangana was “not adhering to the request of KRMB to stop releases being made to Nagarjuna Sagar Left Canal”.
The board added that “since there was no jurisdiction of projects for KRMB and the draft notification proposals for jurisdiction are under examination in the Union Ministry, KRMB is not in a position to stop the States from drawing water except requesting again and again to adhere to letters of the board”.
In response to the KRMB letter, Union Joint Secretary Sanjay Kundu wrote to Special Chief Secretary of Telangana S.K. Joshi to “direct authorities of Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar to release water as per KRMB Water Release Orders”.
CM’s letter to Centre
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in a letter written in June 2016 to the then Union Minister for Water Resources Uma Bharti said “due to lack of jurisdiction and powers of enforcement KRMB is not in a position to initiate suitable action” against Telangana which was violating the orders of the board.
A.P. Water Resources Department Engineers said the State government had written to the KRMB to give release orders for another 5 tmcft but there was no response. Telangana too reportedly wrote to the KRMB asking permission to release water to the SLBPH for power generation.
The KRMB is, however, of the opinion that both States were using water from the reservoirs first and taking permissions later.
