Telangana seeks 16.2 TMC of Krishna water for drinking needs; Andhra urges Sagar canal usage
HYDERABAD: The Telangana government has formally requested the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) to allocate 16.2 TMC of water from Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar reservoirs to meet the state’s critical drinking water needs. The request was placed during a meeting of the three-member committee chaired by board member-secretary D.M. Raipuray at the KRMB headquarters in Hyderabad on Monday.
Representing Telangana, Irrigation Engineer-in-Chief Anil Kumar outlined the state’s requirements until the end of July. He stressed the need for daily releases of 300 cusecs for the Kalwakurthy Lift Irrigation Scheme under Mission Bhagiratha, 750 cusecs for Hyderabad’s municipal supply, and 300 cusecs for drinking water needs in Khammam district. Telangana also requested that the water level in Nagarjunasagar reservoir be maintained above 510 feet, arguing that drawing water from below that level is not advisable.
The Telangana side further demanded that until formal instructions are issued by the board, Andhra Pradesh should not divert water via the Sagar right canal regulator or extract flows from Srisailam’s backwaters for the Muchumarri Lift Irrigation Scheme. Telangana insisted that these conditions and concerns be officially recorded in the meeting minutes, and sources confirmed the board acknowledged them in writing.
Andhra Pradesh pushes for Sagar canal, Vijayawada meetings
Andhra Pradesh, meanwhile, did not attend the meeting, citing a visit to the Polavaram project by its technical team. In a letter from its Water Resources Engineer-in-Chief Venkateswara Rao, Andhra requested that any rescheduled meetings after May 10 be considered for discussion. The letter also requested that future KRMB meetings be held in Vijayawada.
Furthermore, Andhra Pradesh has sought 10 TMC of water via the Sagar right canal until the end of May and proposed that water levels in Nagarjunasagar be allowed to drop to 500 feet to facilitate diversion.
This fresh round of negotiations underscores the long-standing and sensitive water-sharing disputes between the two Telugu states, especially concerning irrigation and drinking water allocations. With the monsoon still weeks away, both governments are manoeuvring for control of Krishna river resources in a period of critical demand.