VIJAYAWADA: The embargo put on the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme (RLIS) does not fit in the scheme of the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014 as it is not a new project, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy told Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, and requested him to let Andhra Pradesh go ahead with the preliminary steps of its execution.
He also appealed to the minister, who is the chairman of the Apex Council, to reconsider the decision to restrain AP from going ahead with the project when no similar direction was given to Telangana, which is “reaping advantages” without submitting itself to any scrutiny under the Act.
Jagan said this in a five-page letter to the Union minister dated August 10. It was a response to Shekhawat’s missive dated August 7, which said the RLIS can’t be taken up without approval from the Krishna River Board Management (KRMB) and the Apex Council. Jagan emphasised that the RLIS was not a new project, but only a better means to draw the allocated share of water as per the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-I (KWDT-I) award.
“The RLIS would only supplement the existing projects through the existing canal system without adding any additional ayacut or canal or storage only to ensure our legitimate share of water, and therefore, should not be called a new project, as per the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, only from where the definition of new projects can be derived,” the Chief Minister argued.
He also cited the report given by the committee constituted by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) that the RLIS was not a new project. “Both the KRMB and Apex Council will deem fit in to step in only when a project fulfils elements of a new project,” Jagan pointed out.
He explained that AP had no option but to take up the RLIS to meet the needs of the “critically and chronically” drought-prone Rayalaseema, Nellore and Prakasam districts, as Telangana was constructing four new projects with a drawing capacity of 3 TMCft/day at sill level of 800 feet to utilise 200 TMCft from the foreshore of Srisailam reservoir.
“If all Telangana projects are at 800 ft level itself, and yet they say they would confine to what is allocated to them, how is it fair that Andhra projects continue to operate only at 854 ft and that too drawing only a meagre discharge at that level? It is only at 881 ft that AP gets to draw its potential share. All that AP is doing is making sure to operate at 800 ft on a par with Telangana projects, confining to the allocated share as per KWDT-I,” Jagan said.
Besides the new projects, Telangana has a facility to generate power on the left side of Srisailam reservoir from 796 ft with a discharge capacity of 42,000 cusecs, which they often operate unilaterally, ignoring KRMB’s directions and depriving Rayalaseema, Prakasam and Nellore districts of both drinking and irrigation water, he added.
He also noted that the Pothireddypadu head regulator can draw maximum water only at 881 ft, which is hardly possible for 10-15 days a year. The drawl drops to a bare minimum of 7,000 cusecs when the water level in the reservoir falls to 854 ft, he said, adding that AP is unable to draw its legitimate share of water under KWDT-I. Further, the existing projects of Telangana - Bheema, Koilsagar and Nettempadu - draw water from upstream of Jurala project even before water reaches Srisailam, and Kalwakurthi LIS draws water at 800 ft of Srisailam reservoir, he explained.
Jagan noted that the Union minister’s letter to Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao did not mention any restraint on the Telangana government from going ahead with projects in the Krishna basin. “While restraining AP from taking up the RLIS with no similar direction to Telangana in the past would result in irreparable damage to AP’s interest. The chairman of the Apex Council may reconsider this,” he appealed. He stated that the projects taken up by Telangana would “adversely cut into” AP’s share of water.
‘State has no other option’
The CM said Andhra Pradesh had no option but to take up the RLIS to meet the needs of the “critically and chronically” drought-prone Rayalaseema, Nellore and Prakasam districts
AP’s views on meeting agenda
Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy also informed the Union minister that the letter AP had written with its views on the proposed agenda for the second Apex Council meeting was not brought to the latter’s notice. “It appears that this fact was not brought to your kind notice as stated in your letter dated August 7 that there was no response from the state, which is factually incorrect,” he said.