Telangana, A.P. on the edge

Maharashtra and Karnataka gave their consent for distress sharing of water as per Scheme-B, but AP’s refusal forced the issue a quiet burial, says Senior Irrigation engineer.

HYDERABAD:01/09/2015:-Water crisis likely to turn bitter as monsoon sounds off : Panoramic view of Krishra river dried up at Beechpally about 30 kilometers downstream from Jurala Project in Mahabubnagar district of Telangana owing to truant monsoon resulted poor inflows to basin. Farmers in Krishna delta wait for rains with abated breath that are yet to be ploughed for Kharif, Southwest monsoon season that entered its last phase due to which both the telugu speaking states are suffering from acute scarcity of water. The irrigation needs of over lakhs of acres under the Godavari and Krishna rivers, supply of drinking water to various cities including the joint capital, and the fate of hydel electricity generation all depend on the southwest monsoon which alone contributes to 90 per cent of inflows into the state.-.Photo:Mohammed_Yousuf

The refusal of combined Andhra Pradesh to agree for Scheme-B of water sharing, which included sharing of water deficit during the lean monsoon years like the present year, during the discussions held as part of Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-I award is proving too costly for Telangana and AP States now.

One may call it lack of vision of the then rulers in foreseeing the nature’s vagaries or simply dub it as greed for utilising as much water as the nature permitted, water flowing down the upper riparian States of Maharashtra and Karnataka, the result is being witnessed by all now.

“By 1976, combined AP had very high water storage capacity compared to Maharashtra and Karnataka since Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar together were able to hold a massive 710 tmcft water and the two upper riparian States had not even one-third of such capacity in the Krishna basin,” highly-placed sources in the Irrigation Department told The Hindu . However, the combined storage capacity of the two inter-State reservoirs of AP and Telangana stands now only at about 570 tmcft due to siltation problem.

With such massive reservoirs in combined AP’s backyard, the experts then were of the opinion that it would a heavy loss to the State if opted for Scheme-B which specified sharing of even deficit in flows proportionately with a specific mechanism of upper riparian States releasing water to the lower riparian State during the years of monsoon failure.

Except for a handful of years during the last five decades, the quantity of water flowed below the two upper riparian States has been more than the allocated share to combined AP. “Maharashtra and Karnataka gave their consent for distress sharing of water as per Scheme-B, but AP’s refusal forced the issue a quiet burial”, a senior irrigation engineer said.

“It is for the first time since KWDT-I came into force in 1976, or may be from prior to it, the worst scenario of zero inflows into Srisailam reservoir, the first major project across the Krishna river in combined AP, even in the first week of September is being witnessed this year. It’s an unprecedented situation”, says Advisor to Telangana Government on Irrigation R. Vidyasagar Rao.

The Brijesh Kumar tribunal or KWDT-II, which has finalised share of Krishna waters among the riparian States in 2010, did not even consider Scheme-B for discussion since none of the States expressed dissatisfaction with the sharing of Scheme-A which specifies proportionate share even in surplus waters to all sharing States, the sources stated.