HYDERABAD: In a new twist to the issue of sharing of river waters, the Telangana irrigation officials on Wednesday asked the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) to make equal the drawing capacities of both left and right canals of Nagarjuna Sagar Project (NSP). The NSP left canal’s drawing capacity (Telangana side) is 7,899 cusecs, while that of the right canal (Andhra Pradesh side) is 24,606 cusecs.
In a letter to KRMB, Telangana Irrigation engineer-in-chief C Muralidhar demanded that “the drawing capacity of both the canals should be 11,000 cusecs.”“KRMB is requested to modify the vent-way of head regulator of NSP left canal to be enhanced to draw 11,000 cusecs at stipulated Minimum Draw Down Level (MDDL) +510 feet. At the same time, the vent-way at head regulator at right canal has to be reduced to release maximum discharge of only 11,000 cusecs at MDDL of +510 feet against the existing capacity of 24,606 cusecs. This will make equal the capacities of the two canals,” Muralidhar said in his letter.
He also stated that since alternative sources are available to serve NS right canal ayacut, Telangana is pleading for directions from the Tribunal to leave Krishna waters to the needs of Krishna basin.
“It is to state that in 1952, Hyderabad State had finalised the lower Krishna multi-purpose project at Nandikonda in 1952 with dam on Krishna river, with power house on its left side and a left bank canal. The State Planning Commission has approved it and submitted to the Union Planning Commission for inclusion in the first five year plan and for release of the Budget for the year 1952-53.”
“The Khosla Committee (1952) rejected the Krishna Pennar Project and recommended to add a canal on right side to the Nandikonda project,” he said. In response to the Khosla Committee recommendations, the then government of Hyderabad asserted that in-basin utilisations be given preference while utilising Krishna waters and only unutilised waters of Krishna be diverted to Madras.
To quote the then government “this government is anxious that the best and most economical and extensive use of Krishna waters should be made without depriving the Krishna valley of its due share of waters both for irrigation and power”. “Now, unfortunately, though the sill level of both canal head regulators are same at +490 feet, the drawl capacities of NSP at MDD L +510 feet, on left (7,899 cusecs) and right sides (24,606 cusecs) are highly disproportionate,” he added.