T-AP row over water release blows over as CWC intervenes

: The crisis over release of water from Nagarjunasagar Project to Krishna delta blew over with the intervention of the Central Water Commission (CWC) on Tuesday.

The CWC Chairman A.B. Pandya’s solution that 3.5 TMC ft of water should be released at the rate of 6,000 cusecs for seven days, has resolved the stand-off between the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments. The solution came after Mr. Pandya held discussions with Chief Secretaries and Irrigation Department authorities of both the States separately here on Tuesday.

Late in the night, Telangana irrigation secretary B. Aravinda Reddy said the government would abide by the CWC direction to release the water accordingly through NSP considering the necessity of acute drinking water need.

Mr. Reddy requested the CWC Chairman to monitor the water release closely after setting up a proper mechanism with its local officers to ensure that the water is used only for drinking water purposes. Further, release should be made contingent on the use of water being released now for drinking needs. The Telangana government would use the water reserved for NSP left canal as and when the demand for drinking water would arise, he added.

Earlier in the day, the AP officials were understood to have detailed the precarious drinking water position in the three districts, while their counterparts of Telangana were learnt to have explained how the neighbouring state’s demand was unjustified as the former had sought release of 10 TMC ft of water.

“It has been the practice for long to release water from Nagarjunasagar for raising paddy nurseries in Krishna Delta before the arrival of fresh inflows every year due to political pressure. Continuing such practice is very difficult now since the combined AP is divided into two States”, senior authorities of Telangana Government stated.

A senior member of the Telangana government said: “When Hyderabad City with about one crore population has just 5.5 TMC ft water allocation per annum for drinking water needs from Krishna, how can the three districts demand 10 TMC ft for contingency needs”.

Mr. Pandya, who took charge as the Krishna River Management Board Chairman, gave the order later to the NSP Chief Engineer and the Superintending Engineer. AP government sources said that Board would meet again to re-assess the situation and decide and calibrate the release of water.