The High Court directed the state government on Monday to adhere to the order passed by it earlier in respect of Krishna river water release from the Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar reservoirs to the Krishna delta downstream.
The direction followed submission of government's status report which said that the water availability in the delta was satisfactory without affecting cultivation.
Last month, a division bench comprising acting chief justice PC Ghose and justice Vilas V Afzulpurkar had, while dealing with two public interest petitions, directed the government not to release water from Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar to downstream areas if the level fell below 834 feet and 510 feet respectively.
While dealing with the above petitions on Monday, the bench made it clear that it could not pass orders on the implead petitions filed on the issue.
The court cannot intervene in governance. At this juncture, the court will direct the government to maintain the court's earlier order on the issue, it noted. The advocate-general submitted the status report on water availability and crop situation in the state.
He told the court that there was enough water to meet the needs of Krishna delta. As for the Nagarjunasagar reservoir, the water level did not go below the 510-ft level and there was no withering of crops in the region.
As for the Srisailam dam, there is sufficient water and the government will generate power. Water levels were being maintained in both the reservoirs, he added.
When the petitioners' counsel asked for an interim order by pointing out that the government failed to implement the court order by not releasing water from Srisailam to downstream despite the water level reaching the 864 ft level, the bench asked the counsel to give citations to support his argument and adjourned the matter to September 17 for further hearing.