VIJAYAWADA: With the Assembly elections in Telangana just a year away, the ruling party there is once again raking up the issue of differences over water sharing between the two sibling states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. This is the larger opinion in the official and political circles of Andhra Pradesh, when the water resources department of Telangana yet again shot off a lengthy letter to the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) on Friday.
When contacted, the Water Resources Department officials said they are yet to receive any letter from the KRMB seeking any explanation. If they receive the letter from the KRMB, they will respond in a suitable manner.
Those in the know of the things say several issues raised by Telangana in the latest letter to the KRMB are nothing new and repeat of the same old issues that have been brought to the notice of the KRMB since several years now. Andhra Pradesh time and again has been explaining its stance on those issues, but the Telangana government is trying make the issue complicated, sources in the government said.
With the election fever steadily increasing in Telangana, inter-state river disputes are being raked up again. It is nothing but political posturing to get an advantage in the elections by rousing sentiments of people. Floods in Godavari a few months ago, which saw alarming rise in water level at Bhadrachalam for the first time in several decades, was made a political issue, targeting Polavaram project.
Even after the Central Water Commission and the Jal Shakti ministry have repeatedly explained that the Polavaram project was taken up after due clearances and considering every safety aspect, the ruling party leaders of Telangana repeatedly raised the safety issue of those in Bhadrachalam.
In its latest letter to the KRMB, the Telangana Water Resources Department has raised several issues and some of them targeting Andhra Pradesh. It raised the issue of working arrangement for sharing of Krishna water between the two States.
It objected to the continuation of old arrangement for one more year as decided in the 16th KRMB meeting.Telangana said it is agreeable for sharing of Krishna water in the ratio of 50:50 though it was entitled 70%, but is not ready for the earlier agreement.
Another demand is no flows are needed from Nagarjuna Sagar Project to the Krishna delta system in lieu of diversion of Godavari water from Polavaram to Krishna as per the Godavari Water Dispute Tribunal Award. It also asked for DPR of the Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme (RDS) right canal kept in abeyance until KWDT-II Award is finalised.
NOTHING NEW IN ISSUES RAISED BY TS: SOURCES
In its latest letter to the KRMB, the Telangana Water Resources Department has raised several river water sharing issues and some of them targeting Andhra Pradesh. It raised the issue of working arrangement for sharing of Krishna water between the two States. Those in know of the things say several issues raised by Telangana in the latest letter to the KRMB are nothing new and repeat of old issues