VIJAYAWADA: A day after Telangana wrote to the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) to restrain Andhra Pradesh from diverting Srisailam water to ‘outside basin’ via Pothireddypadu Head Regulator (PHR), the KRMB Thursday wrote a letter to AP seeking its views. AP water resources officials are yet to take a call on if Telangana’s letter warrants a reply at all.
On Wednesday, Telangana Irrigation Engineerin- Chief C Muralidhar shot off a letter to the KRMB stating that it had no objection to AP’s proposal to generate power at Srisailam Right Power House, but noted that it did not receive any requisition from the board for releases from PHR. Hence, the EN C stated that “Telangana emphasises that the KRMB shall not permit any water to be diverted (to outside of basin) from Srisailam reservoir till the entire in-basin needs are met and that too only when Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar Project are spilling.”
He also asked for it to be allowed to generate maximum power from Srisailam Left Power House, NSP and Pulichintala power houses to meet ‘exigencies’. The Telangana ENC has once again requested for 50:50 ratio in sharing of Krishna water. Following this, the KRMB has written a letter to AP Engineerin- Chief (Irrigation) C Narayana Reddy appending Telangana’s letter and seeking comments on the same. However, sources said that it is unlikely that the state officials would respond to the ‘meaningless’ claims.
‘TS agreed to ad hoc water allocation’
Muralidhar noted that the KWDT-I made allocations en bloc and not project-wise, which were also ‘unequivocally clarified’ by the Supreme Court. He claimed that the ad hoc arrangement of using 512:299 TMC by AP and TS respectively was application only for one year as agreed in 2016, and that it was modified to 66:34 ratio in 2017 excluding minor irrigation utilisation, evaporation losses and Pattiseema diversions for one year.
“Telangana is agreeable to share of Krishna water in the ratio of 50:50 from the water year of 2021-22 till the KWDTII (which is making project-wise allocation) decision is rendered as it is suffering large distress due to insufficient water even after seven years of bifurcation,” he claimed. AP officials, however, rebutted the claims and questioned as to how the allocation by tribunals can be disputed.
They also pointed out that the ad hoc arrangement was agreed to by Telangana every year during the KRMB’s three-member committee meetings. “How can one individual question the allocations, which were discussed and agreed on year after year in the presence of KRMB? We are in receipt of KRMB’s letter seeking comments on Telangana’s letter. We will take a call if it warrants a reply,” a senior water resources official said.