VIJAYAWADA: The Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) has stepped in to restrain the Telangana government from excessive water drawals at the Srisailam reservoir, issuing a firm directive to safeguard drinking water supplies for Andhra Pradesh amid a rapid decline in storage levels.
The board’s intervention follows an urgent representation submitted by the AP Water Resources Department Special Chief Secretary, warning that uncontrolled power generation by TSGENCO is depleting reservoir reserves at a critical juncture.
In a formal communication to the Secretary of Telangana’s Irrigation and CAD Department, KRMB Superintending Engineer Naram Venkata Ramana highlighted that monsoon rainfall has been below average due to the El Niño effect.
With reservoirs unlikely to reach full capacity during the current water year, the board emphasised an urgent need for judicious water conservation to prevent severe drinking water shortages across dependent regions.
To enforce compliance, the board cited mandatory governing principles under Schedule XI of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act (APRA), 2014, which explicitly lay down water usage priorities.