Krishna board meeting on October 26 to test Telangana-AP water share dispute
Hyderabad: The water dispute between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh (AP) is set to heat up next week, as the Krishna and Godavari river boards meet four days apart. The Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) will hold its 21st general meeting on October 26. The Godavari River Management Board (GRMB) will meet on October 30.
Both boards have already sent meeting details to the two states. The 21st KRMB meeting was originally scheduled for October 1. The board rescheduled it at the request of the Engineer-in-Chief (ENC) because of a Telangana Cabinet meeting. The board has asked both states to submit any additional items as it finalises the agenda.
The Krishna board meeting will mainly discuss how to share Krishna waters between the two states for the current water year. Telangana has demanded an equal 50:50 share in the joint Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar projects from the start. It has made clear that it will no longer accept the earlier provisional 66:34 ratio. Telangana will also insist on restricting water movement through Pothireddypadu beyond the quantity AP has permission for, and on counting the use of flood waters. It has stated this in the agenda it sent to the board, and it has already requested the setting up of telemetry.
AP wants water shared in the same 66:34 ratio as before. It alleges that Telangana wastes a large amount of water downstream in the name of power generation at Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar. AP says this endangers drinking water needs.
Godavari board rejects AP’s request to review project permissions
The GRMB will hold a full-fledged meeting on October 30. It will discuss the flooding of Telangana land by the Polavaram project’s backwater. It will also take up permissions for Kaleshwaram, Sitarama lift irrigation and other projects, along with mutual complaints.
AP has already complained to the board about seven projects, including Sitarama, and demanded a review of their permissions. The board recently rejected the request. It told AP that permissions already granted cannot be reviewed and that AP should change its agenda.
Both states have complained that the other is taking up projects without submitting DPRs or obtaining proper permissions. Telangana alleges that several projects, including the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Project (RLIS) and the Pothireddypadu expansion, lack permissions. AP has complained to the board about the Palamuru-Ranga Reddy and Dindi lift irrigation projects. The board is likely to see a heated debate on DPR submission and approvals for these projects.
The boards will also discuss implementing the Central Gazette notification to take over key components within the Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar reservoirs. These include headworks, power houses and canal regulators. Telangana is reluctant to hand the projects over to the board, while AP wants the board to supervise them. The board will also review the pending second phase of telemetry equipment installation, which will accurately measure the two states’ water use.