Telangana has taken exception to the diversion of Krishna (Srisailam) water to K.C. Canal and Tungabhadra water (dam/river supplementation) meant for K.C. Canal and Low Level Canal (LLC) to High Level Canal (HLC) by Andhra Pradesh in “violation of the KWDT award” and requested the Tungabhadra Board to stop it immediately.
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“Diversion of water by AP is in total contravention of the KWDT-I and KWDT-II Awards, although KWDT-II is yet to be implemented. About 81.5% of the water allocation to HLC is being utilised outside the Krishna Basin as 81.8% of the command area (ayacut) served by it falls in the Penna Basin, as highlighted by the K-G Commission Report”, Telangana said in a letter to the Tungabhadra Board.
Referring to a request made by AP to the Tungabhadra Board seeking diversion of 4 tmcft water (2 tmcft each meant for K.C. Canal and LLC) to HLC, Engineer-in-Chief (Irrigation-General) of Telangana C. Muralidhar wrote to Secretary of Tungabhadra Board G. Naga Mohan that AP’s request was “untenable and contravention to the KWDT-I Award”.
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Mr. Muralidhar pointed out that permission to divert water from one project to another project drawing water from Tungabhadra Dam shall not exceed the allocation made to the State for the season and the member-States could modify the utilisation of water available in the dam only by agreement. As such, AP had already drawn more water than its entitlement and in such conditions swapping could not be permitted under the provisions governing the board.
He also mentioned that KWDT-I had stipulated that inside basin project be given weightage while making equitable allocation to future uses. All the ongoing projects serving inside basin needs belong to Telangana and no ongoing project of AP serves inside basin needs. Besides, KWDT-II had denied additional allocation to KC Canal and HLC.
Drawing of water from Krishna (Srisailam) for KC Canal and diverting water meant for K.C. Canal to HLC was not agreeable to Telangana, the ENC said in the letter. The inflows at Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme (RDS) across Tungabhadra river were getting affected already by routine reduction and diversion of flows from KC Canal system (river assistance) to HLC system.
The Telangana ENC further wrote that LLC had already been utilising its entitled pro rata share from Tungabhadra dam and in addition using Tungabhadra river water through Guru Raghavendra lifts for the same ayacut, jeopardising the interests of Telangana at RDS, Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar projects.