HYDERABAD: A day after the failure of Delhi talks between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh on Krishna water sharing, mediated by Union Water Resources minister Uma Bharti, the relationship between the sister states touched a new low as Telangana declared that it will not allow AP to store water to the full reservoir level in Pulichintala balancing reservoir.
Pulichintala is a multi-purpose project on Krishna river situated in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh. It is a crucial irrigation facility for farmers, irrigating 13 lakh acres of farmlands in the coastal districts of West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur and Prakasam. However, the project led to the submergence of five villages in Nalgonda district of Telangana. Telangana government shot off a letter to AP on Friday threatening that it will not allow storage of water to the full reservoir level in Pulichintala balancing reservoir.
Pointing out that the relief and rehabilitation package for Pulichintala oustees had not been implemented so far, Telangana demanded that AP settle the issue first. Most of the oustees belonged to Nalgonda district in Telangana. As many as 13 villages were submerged by the project including Adluru, Vellaturu, Gundeboyina Gudem, Tammavaram and P Naik Tanda in Nalgonda district. Though irrigation minister T Harish Rao repeatedly requested his Andhra Pradesh counterpart Devineni Umamaheswara Rao to facilitate talks on Pulichintala and Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme (RDS), there was no response. The TS government requested AP in 2015 itself to release `115 crore for relief and rehabilitation (R&R). The decision would adversely affect a large number of farmers in the Krishna delta of AP.