HYDERABAD: Raising objections over Andhra Pradesh State government’s plans to expand the canal capacity of Handri Neeva Sujala Sravanthi (HNSS) from the present 3,850 to 6,300 cusecs, Telangana State government urged the Krishna River Management Board to prevent AP from drawing any water to HNSS till Brijesh Kumar Tribunal finalises the share of water. “Stop all the construction activity taken up in violation of the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014,” the Telangana urged the KRMB.
In a letter to the Board on Saturday, August 28, 2021, Telangana Engineer-in-Chief C Muralidhar said diversion of water to outside the Krishna river bas in was against the award of the Tribunal. “As per the project submitted before the Bachawat Tribunal, HNSS was conceived for lifting 40 tmcft of water from foreshore of Srisailam reservoir at Malyala and diverting to outside basin to serve areas in Pennar basin and in basins beyond Penna, as far as 700 km away, up to Niva river and Kuppam mandal in Chittoor district, which are at the border of AP-Tamil Nadu.
While, Brijesh Kumar Tribunal did not concede to the demand for water allocation from Tungabhadra river to TBPHLC, HNSS is diverting Krishna waters to the areas in and around TBPHLC command and passing it over to serve further areas in Penna basin and much beyond it in other basins. Some part of HNSS diversions also serve Tungabhadra sub-basin which is also against the Tribunal awards on which Telangana views are already communicated,” Muralidhar told the Board.
Both Bachawat and Brijesh Kumar Tribunals stipulated restrictions on utilisation of water by AP in Tungabhadra sub-basin so that it will contribute substantial flows to main stem Krishna. However, contrary to the spirit of the awards of both the Tribunals, AP is diverting the Krishna water outside Krishna basin areas in Penna basin and beyond it, Muralidhar contended. “As is widely accepted, Krishna is a deficit basin and diverting water from it to outside basin while inbasin areas adjacent to the river suffer from scarcity is highly objectionable and does not stand to any logic or principles,” Muralidhar said.
DPRs ready
Meanwhile, the TS officials are preparing detailed project reports for nine projects in Godavari basin and also for Palamuru Rangareddy in Krishna basin, which will be submitted shortly to the Central Water Commission.