The Telangana region in the erstwhile combined Andhra Pradesh has suffered more than the Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra regions in the Krishna Basin during the deficit years, AP’s witness before the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal (KWDT-II) M. Visveswara Rao, a retired irrigation engineer, has admitted.
As part of the ongoing hearing by the KWDT-II headed by Justice Brijesh Kumar in New Delhi on Thursday Mr. Visveswara Rao was cross-examined by senior counsel for Telangana C.S. Vaidyanathan. He admitted before the tribunal that the suffering in Telangana region was higher compared to the other two regions of the erstwhile AP during the deficit year between 1972-73 and 2007-08.
The AP’s witness also admitted to the argument put forward by the counsel for Telangana, with the support of documentary evidence, that the average utilisation in the region under the projects other than the common reservoirs Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar as also Jurala in 36 years period between 1972-73 and 2007-08 was only 81.58 tmc ft against the earmarked share of 139.45 tmc ft.
Rayalaseema gained
During the same period, the average utilisation under Tungabhadra dam and Kurnool-Cuddapah Canal, also served by Tungabhadra river in the Krishna Basin, and excluding the Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme (RDS) in the Rayalaseema region, was 103.08 tmc ft as against the earmarked share of 93.9 tmc ft, the witness admitted. He, however, suggested to the tribunal to consider the utilisations up to 2017-18 for more correctness of the data.
After stating that the utilisation in the minor irrigation sector would reach its capacity with Mission Kakatiya, taken up by Telangana for reviving the MI tanks, the AP’s witness avoided answer when asked whether MK involved feeding tanks through canals from projects. He also expressed ignorance when pointed out that AP government had issued eight GOs between 2015 and 2018 for linking MI tanks in the Krishna Basin with canals from projects.
No capacity
Mr. Visveswara Rao denied the Telangana counsel’s suggestion that the MI tanks in the Krishna Basin were not in position to utilise the earmarked capacity of 89 tmc ft during the erstwhile AP. He stated that the utilisation was more than 89 tmc ft during 1975-77, 1978-79, 1983-84 and 1988-91 and it was 97.39 in 1973-74. However, he admitted, that the utilisation did not touch 89 tmc ft in 16 years from 1992-93 to 2007-08.
The AP’s witness said he would have to verify the records that stated that the average flow between Nagarjunasagar and Prakasam Barrage during nine most deficit years in the 36 year period from 1972-73 to 2007-08 was 111 tmc ft.
