While making a strong pitch for providing water to the drought-prone Rayalaseema districts by scaling up the irrigation projects, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has said the State has no option but to take up the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme to utilise 3 tmcft per day from the Srisailam Reservoir (at level below 881 feet) to supplement its projects.
In a letter to Union Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekawat, the Chief Minister said, “Telangana, with a mutually-agreed share of 299 tmcft, has a facility to draw 3 tmcft per day at a level of 800 feet, while A.P., with an agreed allocation of 512 tmcft, does not have the capacity to draw water into Pothireddypadu at a water level below 881 feet.”
“The State will take up the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme and improve the canal network, consisting of TGP, SRBC, GNSS and KC Canal. There is neither any proposal to draw water more than what is allocated to A.P. nor is there any plan to have new storage,” said Mr. Reddy.
Contrary to Telangana’s claims, the combined State had projected the demands of all the projects in the three regions before the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-I, which included extension of the Tungabhadra Project Left Bank Canal, Bhima Project Left Canal and Upper Krishna Project Right Bank Canal, which was adjudicated. Consequently, 17.84 tmcft was allocated to the Jurala project on equitable distribution principle in 1976, he added.
The Chief Minister said the drought-prone areas of Rayalaseema and Nellore and Prakasam districts were dependent on the Srisailam project for their drinking, industrial and irrigation needs.
“In contrast, Mahabubnagar, Nalgonda and Rangareddy districts of Telangana are able to irrigate more than 30% of the command area with 142 tmcft,” he said.
“Water can be drawn for the Rayalaseema LI scheme through the Pothireddypadu head regulator when the level in Srisailam is above +854 ft starting with 7,000 cusecs. The full capacity of 44,000 cusecs can be drawn only when water level is above +881 ft. The FRL is +885 ft in Srisailam, which will be available for a short period of 15-20 days in a year going by the last 10-year record,” he said.
Citing the arguments of the State in the KWDT, the Chief Minister said transfer of water outside the river basin was legal within the riparian States.
‘The anomaly’
He also observed that the arrangement of keeping the right side power house of Nagarjuna Sagar and Srisailam with A.P. and the left side power house with Telangana as per their geographical and territorial location served no purpose as “Telangana generates power at 796 ft itself without any consideration to the basic needs of the six districts of A.P., or the drinking water needs of Chennai, which are met only at 881ft.”
“On the contrary, to the advantage of Telangana, the control of Nagarjunasagar dam is with Telangana though the head regulator of NS Right Canal and right half of the dam are in the geographical territory of A.P. This is resulting in A.P. not getting its share and timely releases of water even after issue of release order by the KRMB,” he said.
“To correct the anomaly, the control of NSRC head regulator should be kept under A.P. control as NSLC head regulator is under the control of Telangana to ensure brotherly relationship between the States. Similarly, power generation in Srisailam on both sides should be undertaken only after the requirements of the six districts of A.P. and Chennai are fully met,” he said.
