HYDERABAD: Telangana witness K Palanisami, during his cross-examination before the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II headed by Chairman Brijesh Kumar, said that use of short-duration varieties would help Andhra Pradesh farmers save water.
The cross-examination by Andhra Pradesh senior advocate R Venkataramani was resumed before the Tribunal on Monday. Replying to a question on water utilisation, Palanisami replied that there were also short-duration crop varieties mentioned in the panchangam e.g. cotton dora, tarangini, Sridruti and Nellore mahsuri.
“It is necessary to identify suitable short duration varieties to help efficient water allocation in the future. A look at the history of Krishna basin crops in 1940s and 1950s shows that popular short duration varieties like MTU 15, MTU 17 and MTU 19, were grown,” he said.
During the cross-examination, Palanisami also highlighted the water scarcity in Telangana and the water surplus stage in Andhra Pradesh. Monday’s cross-examination was mostly focused on the aspects of agriculture Panchangam, duration of crops and water utilisation.