CWC asks AP, TS to furnish details of water drawn

Five-member committee looking into surplus water use by two States

A technical committee appointed by the Central Water Commission (CWC) to look into Telangana’s charge against Andhra Pradesh of utilising a lion’s share of water available in the 2019-20 water year without accounting for it has asked the two States to furnish details of water availed from the two common reservoirs Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar by the month-end.

The five-member technical committee headed by CWC Chief Engineer in its irrigation management organisation (IMO) Vijai Saran held a video conference from New Delhi on Wednesday with engineers of Telangana, AP and Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) and discussed the issue in detail. According to sources, the representative of AP insisted that there was no need to account for surplus water availed by the State, although Telangana official persisted with the argument that there was every need for it to avoid controversies in future too.

The KRMB represented by its member Harikesh Meena, explained to the committee chief that as against 811 tmc ft of water allocated to combined AP by the R.S. Bachawat Tribunal (KWDT-I), which is in force now, the water realised in the basin in Telangana and AP was about 980 tmc ft this year with surplus flows of 169 tmc ft. Telangana has been contending that a lion’s share of surplus water was availed by AP and it should be accounted for but Andhra has been insisting that there was no need to account for it since it was surplus flow.

Sources stated that AP has either already availed or plans to avail 680 tmc ft water and the quantity availed or planned to be availed by month-end when the water year comes to an end is 300 tmc ft. As per the working arrangement in vogue between the two States after bifurcation of combined AP, the two States are supposed to utilise the allocated water in 512:299 tmc ft ratio.

With a view to preventing controversies cropping up again in the matter of availing surplus water, the KRMB too has been in favour of having a formula to share the surplus flows too by the two States, till the award of Brijesh Kumar Tribunal (KWDT-II) comes into effect in the years to come. Having a similar view, the CWC too has insisted on the two States to furnish details of water realised and availed from the two common reservoirs this water year.

The details to be furnished by the two States as well as by the KRMB would be discussed at the next meeting of the technical committee slated in June first week towards finding a solution to the issue arising out of surplus water utilisation by the two States.