HYDERABAD: Arguments before the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal resumed on Wednesday, with a primary focus on the KC (Kurnool-Cuddapah) Canal issue concerning Andhra Pradesh.
Telangana’s counsel argued that the KC Canal was originally developed in 1860 with the consent of the erstwhile Hyderabad state, under the condition that no objections would be raised in the future if Hyderabad chose to divert water.
The counsel also cited a 1944 agreement between the erstwhile Hyderabad and Madras governments, which stipulated equal utilisation of water through the KC Canal (Madras, now Andhra Pradesh) and the Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme (RDS) of Hyderabad.
As per the agreement, the KC Canal was to utilise 10 tmcft of water, while RDS would use 17.1 tmcft -- of which 15.9 tmcft was for Telangana and 1.2 tmcft for Karnataka. These figures were also presented by the Central Water and Power Commission during the Inter-State Conference in 1951.
However, the Telangana counsel contended that Andhra Pradesh had disregarded this agreement and increased the KC Canal’s utilisation to 39.9 tmcft, subsequently obtaining this allocation from the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-I (KWDT-I). He further stated that the actual average utilisation by Andhra Pradesh stands at 54 tmcft, significantly exceeding the allocation.
The Telangana counsel also highlighted that AP had failed to disclose the contribution of tributaries like Nippulavagu, Galeru, and Kundu -- amounting to 5.2 tmcft -- to the KC Canal’s command area during proceedings before the KWDT-I.
When the tribunal inquired about the quantum of water being diverted through the escape channel, Telangana’s counsel pointed out that AP was objecting to the installation of telemetry systems at the Banakacherla complex, where the escape channel regulator is located. He argued that unless telemetry is installed at all regulators within the complex, it would be impossible to accurately account for water releases to the KC Canal, Srisailam Right Bank Canal (SRBC), and Telugu Ganga Project (TGP).
According to Telangana’s assessment, the total water availability to the KC Canal is 45.1 tmcft (39.9 tmcft allocation + 5.2 tmcft from tributaries), while the scientifically assessed crop water requirement for the KC Canal command area is only 18.51 tmcft. Telangana argued that the surplus of 26.59 tmcft should be reallocated to in-basin projects within Telangana.