HYDERABAD: Irrigation Department Engineer-in-Chief C Muralidhar, in a strongly worded letter to the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) on Sunday, said that the erstwhile AP government had issued a memo in 2013 to draw water up to 760 feet at Srisailam for irrigation purposes of Krishna Delta by operating river sluices.
“Post the diversion of Godavari water to Krishna Delta and Nagarjuna Sagar, AP does not want water from Srisailam for NSP. It instead wants to divert this water outside the basin against the Bachawat Tribunal allocations. By this action, both the States will suffer, but more particularly Telangana,” Muralidhar said in the letter.
AP had taken up the Telugu Ganga, Galeru Nagari Sujala Sravanathi, Handri Neeva Sujala Sravanti and Veligonda projects based on surplus waters of Krishna for serving entirely outside the basin.
The DPRs for these projects furnished before Brijesh Kumar Tribunal envisaged the drawl of water from Srisailam at 880 feet and above.
It is relevant to mention that AP did not plead for allocation of dependable waters to these projects before the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal under section 89 of AP Reorganisation Act.
In view of the same, AP cannot divert dependable water from Srisailam for its surplus water-based projects in lieu of reduction in requirements under Krishna Delta system and NSP, he stated.
The DPR of Srisailam Right Bank Canal (SRBC) indicates that the Srisailam Right Main Canal (SRMC) would draw 2,250 cusecs per day at 854 feet. Contrary to this, AP diverted about 170 tmcft during 2019-20 and 124 tmcft during 2020-21, but failed to deliver even 10 tmcft water for Chennai drinking water needs.
Moreover, a volume of 95 tmcft of water is available in Pennar basin storages like Kandaleru, Somasila and Veligodu balancing reservoir together as on June 10, 2021, drawn from Srisailam.
Further, about 360 tmcft storage is available in Pennar and other adjoining basins of AP, the TS official said in his letter to KRMB, while dismissing AP’s demand to maintain levels at Srisailam to meet AP’s drinking water needs.