Andhra Pradesh Irrigation Minister Devineni Uma Maheswara Rao said the Telangana government must realise that no neighbouring State would come to its rescue even if there was a shortage of one tmcft of water to meet irrigation and drinking water requirements in future.
Talking to reporters after complaining to Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan over power generation from Srisailam left bank canal, he said the aim of the Andhra Pradesh government was to protect the interests of ryots in both the States and ensure that water did not go as waste into sea. While power could be purchased from neighbouring States, nobody would be willing to give water. Farmers in Nalgonda, Khammam, Krishna, Guntur and Prakasam would suffer in future if water was not stored in Srisailam reservoir now. The drinking water needs of Rayalaseema would also take a hit.
Meanwhile, a top official in the AP government said the issue was not merely of power generation. The important matter was that 19 tmcft of assured water was allocated by tribunal to SRBC and KC canal and about 7-8 tmcft was already utilised. Crops in Rayalaseema would go dry if the farmers did not get the remaining tmcft of water. “You cannot generate power by depriving the rightful share of others,” he added.
He said that under the AP Reorganisation Act, the whole system has been entrusted to Krishna River Water Management Board (KRMB) and “if somebody steals water, it is their job to stop it”. He said the board should take a firm stand and ensure that its directions were implemented. He pointed out that both AP and TS governments had earlier assured the board that existing protocols would be implemented.
With regard to the proposed move of the TS government to approach the Supreme Court on power generation at Srisailam and other issues, another top-ranking AP official contended that the TS government has no case.
