Telangana government has opposed the commencement of water drawal from Srisailam reservoir by Andhra Pradesh to the systems based on Pothireddypadu Head Regulator and Handri-Neeva to take the Krishna water outside the basin without the consent of even the three-member committee of the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB).
In a letter addressed to the Chairman of KRMB on Wednesday, Engineer-in-Chief (General) of Telangana Irrigation Department C. Muralidhar pointed out that the A.P. has resorted to release of water from Pothireddypadu (PRP) and Handri-Neeva pump house at Malyal from July 25 itself as seen from the Reservoir Storage Monitoring System (RSMS) data on July 26.
On the same day (July 26), the river board had communicated A.P.’s letter seeking its (board’s) permission to utilise water from Srisailam Right Bank power house to Telangana. However, Telangana has not received any requisition from KRMB for releases from PRP Head Regulator. “AP is conveniently trying to seek the board’s consent although it has already started diverting water from Srisailam,” Mr. Muralidhar said.
The Telangana ENC wrote to the river board Chairman that AP shall be informed allowing power generation at its Right Bank power house by drawing water from the power sluice and restrain it from drawing water through PRP and other systems without consent of the three-member panel of the board.
Reiterating Telangana’s view that Srisailam is basically a hydro-electric project for generating power to meet the irrigation requirements of Nagarjunasagar and Krishna Delta. Keeping in view the inflow pattern, power generation may be resorted to the extent possible to derive maximum benefits, the ENC said adding that Telangana has been generating power at Srisailam for the past few weeks to meet the drinking water requirements of Hyderabad and irrigation requirements of Nagarjunasagar project (NSP).
The ENC requested the KRMB Chairman to consider concerns of Telangana, including the facts that KWDT-I had made en-bloc allocation to erstwhile A.P. and a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court had also clarified that the allocations made by KWDT-I were not project-specific. However, KWDT-II, under adjudication, is making project-wise allocation to A.P. and Telangana.
As an ad hoc arrangement in June 2016, it was agreed to share 811 tmc ft assured water in 512:299 tmc ft proportion by the A.P. and Telangana without any prejudice to claims of the States before any fora. In 2017, it was modified as 66:34 ratio for AP:TS excluding minor irrigation utilisation, evaporation losses and Pattiseema diversion for that year. “Now, Telangana is agreeable to share Krishna water in the 50:50 ratio from 2021-22 water year till KWDT-II decision as Telangana is suffering large distress due to insufficient water,” Mr. Muralidhar wrote.
