Actions of TS vindicate AP Arguments on water row

Rayalaseema Lift Scheme will be used to draw allocated quota of Krishna water only when water level reaches 800-850 feet in Srisailam Reservoir: Irrigation officials
Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Project
Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Project

VIJAYAWADA: he ongoing ‘unilateral’ water drawls by Telangana government from Srisailam reservoir for power generation even before water reached the minimum drawdown level (MDDL) is a vindication of sorts for Andhra Pradesh government, which proposed the Rayalaseema Lift Scheme anticipating dwindling flood days due to the projects in the upper catchment area of River Krishna taken up by neighbouring states. Though the project has been proposed as a long-term solution for drought-prone Rayalaseema, Nellore and Prakasam districts to draw only the allocated share of water, the Telangana government’s opposition triggered a fresh row between the two states that have already been sparring over water-sharing post bifurcation. In May 2020, the Andhra Pradesh government had given administrative sanction for the Rayalaseema Lift Scheme at a cost of `3,829 crore.

The objective was simple: To mitigate drought in Rayalaseema region by drawing 3 TMC of water at Sangameswaram using pumps, instead of gravity, to utilise the rightful share of 114 TMC to meet the needs of existing projects through Pothireddypadu head regulators. However, the Telangana government raised strong objections alleging that the project would hurt its interests. Complaints were submitted to Union Ministry of Jal Shakti and Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) and petitions were filed in the National Green Tribunal (NGT) by the neighbouring state. The project has been entangled in legal issues ever since. Although the execution agency has been identified, the works have been restricted to investigation due to the legal orders.

But the recent ‘deliberate, unilateral and vicious’ move by Telangana authorities to draw water from Srisailam, and subsequently from other common projects such as Nagarjuna Sagar and Pulichintala, for power generation has vindicated the arguments of AP, which anticipated that actions of the upper riparian states would hurt the state’s interest, the officials said. “The ongoing row indicates that what we anticipated has turned into a reality. We anticipated that the number of flood days and inflows to the major Srisailam Reservoir would dwindle with neighbouring states taking up projects of their own. So, instead of going for a fight, we are spending our own money of over `3,000 crore to draw our allocated share of water. Yet, the project stirred up a hornet’s nest.

However, the recent developments of unilateral drawls against the protocol and against the direction of KRMB substantiate our contention,” a senior official from the water resources department told TNIE. For the record, the statement of water utilisation of the last 17 years from Pothireddypadu head regulator shows that except in 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020- 21 AP was not able utilise its allocated share of 114 TMC. And even in the last three years, the state was able to draw only a fraction of the flood that reached Srisailam reservoir in multiple spells. The rest 600 TMC in 2019-20 (out of 889 TMC) and over 1,000 TMC in 2020-21 (out of 1,400 TMC) was released into the sea.

This precisely is another major reason for the state to have proposed the lift scheme as a part of 28 Rayalaseema Drought Mitigation Projects. According to officials, the lift scheme will be used to draw the allocated quota of Krishna water only when the water level is between 800-850 feet in Srisailam Reservoir to cater to the drinking and irrigation needs of drought-prone areas of Rayalaseema, Nellore and Prakasam districts. Though water was available during flood days, the reservoirs capacity could not be filled due to lack of discharging capacity of the canals. AP can draw from Pothreddypadu Head Regulator 7,000 cusecs of water at 854 feet-level and 44,000 cusecs at only at 881 feet-level of Srisailam Reservoir during flood days, which are normally less than 15 to 20 days. Further, with the present drawing capacity of the canals, the maximum water AP can draw is only 3 TMC per day that too if the canals run with no obstructions. “With present carrying capacity and with an average of 20 flood days, the utilisation capacity of all the canals together from Pothireddpadu is just around 60 TMC approximately. Hence, in order to bridge the gap between the allocated water and water that can be drawn in the flood days the project is proposed,” the state officials explained. On the other hand, Telangana has projects to draw water from as low as 777 feet level.

“Most of the schemes of Telangana like Kalwakurthy LIS, Palamuru - Rangareddy LIS and Srisailam Left Power generation station can draw water even when the level is at Srisailam Reservoir at 800 ft or below. About 2.5 TMC of water per day can be utilised through those projects. At the same level, AP can draw only 795 cusecs of water from Mutchumarri LIS which accounts for not even 0.1 TMC per day,” the state irrigation department said. As the NGT ruled that a prior environment clearance is necessary, the state is in the process of getting the same. For the record, the state has been contending that the present scheme is not a new project and it does not envisage any additional water allocation and hence doesn’t need a new environment clearance.

The state also submitted that the project is supplemental to the existing schemes of SRBC, Telugu Ganga, and GNSS, which already have environmental clearances. “The water to be drawn is the same and the water allocation is also the same. Only the way water is drawn to feed the projects changes from gravity to pumping,” another official noted. After Telangana complained about RLS to the Centre, AP has also pointed out that several projects taken up by the neighbouring state were also done without acquiring requisite permissions.

The Centre had to intervene and hold the second apex council meeting in October, 2020, and directed both the states to submit the detailed project reports (DPRs) of all the projects. AP submitted the DPR in December, 2020 to Central Water Commission, but it resought it in a specified format. The state later appointed WAPCOS, which resubmitted the DPR to CWC this week. With tensions escalating once again, Andhra Pradesh has sought the Centre’s intervention. On the other hand, Telangana has asked its officials to prepare DPR for a barrage at Alampur in Gadwal, a flood flow canal, a lift irrigation scheme from the Nagarjunasagar tail-pond, and three other projects as an ‘inevitable consequence’ to AP’s RLS.

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