AP draws Krishna water from Nagarjuna Sagar, Pothireddypadu without board nod: Telangana protests

Hyderabad: Tensions flared again between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh as the latter allegedly began drawing Krishna water from Nagarjuna Sagar and Pothireddypadu without the approval of the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB), prompting formal protests from Telangana irrigation authorities.

Despite ongoing flood inflows, Telangana officials accused AP of unauthorised water diversion from Srisailam to Rayalaseema through Pothireddypadu. As of Thursday, AP had increased withdrawals from Pothireddypadu to 24,400 cusecs, up from 20,000 the previous day. They also began operating the right canal gates of Nagarjuna Sagar, initially releasing 500 cusecs, with plans to scale it up to 5,000 cusecs.

Telangana irrigation officials submitted a complaint to KRMB, demanding immediate intervention. They pointed out that Srisailam falls under AP’s control while Sagar is managed by Telangana, as per the AP Reorganisation Act. They alleged that AP forcibly occupied up to Gate No. 13 on Sagar’s right bank and has since been unilaterally operating the canal gates.

Officials cited a similar incident in February when AP continued diverting water from Sagar even after it reached dead storage levels. Telangana now claims AP is repeating the same by drawing water before the reservoir is full and without notifying the board.

Seeking stronger oversight, Telangana project officials have written to KRMB requesting supervision rights over Nagarjuna Sagar dam and access to the gallery and dam top for continuous monitoring. They asked that management of the right head regulator and gates up to No. 13 be formally transferred to Telangana.

The Centre had earlier directed CRPF personnel to restrict access to the dam site unless permitted by the board. Telangana noted that obtaining separate gate-level permissions for every shift was logistically burdensome and urged a streamlined mechanism.

Officials also argued that transferring Krishna water to an outside basin like Rayalaseema before filling the Sagar and Pulichintala projects violates the Bachawat Tribunal award. Telangana demanded that the KRMB halt these diversions immediately and uphold procedural norms.