VIJAYAWADA: With Telangana authorities resuming power generation at Srisailam Left Bank Powerhouse, the Andhra Pradesh government has once again written to the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) urging it to restrict the neighbouring State officials from drawing further water from the common reservoir. If Telangana doesn’t stop power generation, Engineer-in-Chief (irrigation) C Narayana Reddy requested the KRMB to account for such drawls against the former’s water share for the year 2021-22.
In the letter written to the KRMB member secretary, ENC Narayana Reddy noted that Telangana has been continuing to “unilaterally” draw water for power generation without any intimation or water order from the board since June this year even though water has been going waste into Bay of Bengal. “...In spite of repeated requests from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana is drawing water for power generation through the left powerhouse, depleting the Srisailam reservoir level from +884.90 ft to +879.300 ft as on today,” the ENC said on Wednesday.
“This type of unilateral approach of Telangana is detrimental to the irrigation and drinking water requirements of drought-prone Rayalaseema region and drinking water supply to Chennai city for which water can be drawn from a level of +854 ft and above in Srisailam reservoir,” he added.ENC Narayana Reddy further informed the board that the water level in Nagarjuna Sagar was at 589.5 feet against the full reservoir level of 590 ft with storage of 310.55 TMC against full capacity of 312.50 TMC and that there was no immediate requirement for irrigation and drinking water.
“It is pertinent to mention here that all the water now utilised for power generation by the state of Telangana at Srisailam is going down to Bay of Bengal as a waste as Pulichintala and Prakasam Barrage are surplusing,” he explained. Hence, AP requested the KRMB to either restrain the neighbouring state from drawing further water or to account all the drawls against TS’ quota for this year.
It may be recalled that even the Union Minister of Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, in Parliament last month, said that though his ministry had asked Telangana to stop drawls for power generation, the State continued to do so. The Union minister clarified that power generation was incidental to irrigation and drinking water needs. “Water should be released only when irrigation and drinking water requirement is there,” he reiterated. The KRMB had also written to Telangana on multiple occasions asking the latter to stop power generation, but to no avail.