Telangana Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao complained to Union Minister for Water Resources Uma Bharati on Tuesday against the attitude of Andhra Pradesh in sharing Krishna river waters.
Along with Advisor to Telangana Government on irrigation R. Vidyasagar Rao, he met the Union Minister separately after the meeting on interlinking rivers in the country and submitted a memorandum to her on the riparian rights of Telangana over Krishna waters explaining how AP was preventing Telangana from utilising its lawful share of water.
A stalemate is continuing over the issue of utilisation of Krishna water available in the Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar reservoirs between the two States for the last fortnight. The Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) has failed to strike an accord between the two States on the utilisation of over 102 tmcft live storage of water in the two reservoirs as the two States are claiming that the other State has utilised water in excess its allocation already this year.
KRMB intervention
sought
Engingeer-in-Chief (Irrigation) of AP M. Venkateswara Rao has already written to the KRMB seeking its intervention and directions to Telangana to allow utilisation of water in the Krishna delta System for last couple of wettings to the standing crop. However, Telangana is arguing that it is yet to utilise 117 tmcft of its allocated share and wants it for rabi crop under Nagarjunasagar left bank canal.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting on interlinking of rivers, Mr. Harish Rao said Talangana was not against it but he had explained the State’s doubts at the meeting. Drought could be driven away from the country by linking rivers in the North with those in the South, he felt.
Earlier in the days, he requested Union Environment, Forests and Climate Change Minister Prakash Javadekar to speed up issuance of environmental clearances to the Pranahita-Chevella, Kalwakurthy and Komuram Bheem projects.
At a meeting with Union Civil Aviation Minister P. Ashoka Gajapathi Raju, Mr. Harish Rao requested the former to set up an airport at Kothagudem in Khammam district.
A.P. preventing from utilising our rightful share, Harish tells
Uma Bharti
