HYDERABAD: Senior advocate Jaideep Gupta, appearing for Andhra Pradesh, on Monday submitted before the Justice Brijesh Kumar Tribunal that the Krishna Delta System (KDS) requires 196 tmcft of water as per the state’s scientific assessment, as against 130 tmcft calculated by Telangana.
Clarifying the state’s stand, Gupta said AP is not pressing for any additional claim and is agreeable to 152 tmcft.
Resuming his final arguments, he focused on the scientific parameters involved in assessing the crop water requirement for paddy cultivated under the Krishna Delta System. He argued that the crop duration required for KDS is 140 days, contrary to the 122-day period adopted by Telangana.
Adopting a shorter crop duration, he cautioned, would adversely affect both yield and quality. Farmers in the delta, he pointed out, prefer long-duration paddy varieties precisely because of their higher yield potential. If compelled to shift to short-duration, lower-yielding varieties, “the rice bowl of India will suffer,” he contended.
On puddling — the preparatory process for the main field — Gupta submitted that the water requirement is 200 mm, as recognised in the KDS Modernisation Report, and not 150 mm as suggested by Telangana.
Addressing the issue of crop coefficients, he argued that such coefficients must be determined based on local agro-climatic conditions and the specific geography of the command area. The coefficients applicable to the Cauvery basin, which Telangana relied upon, cannot be mechanically applied to the Krishna basin, he maintained.
Gupta further submitted that the Thiessen Polygon method should be adopted to compute evapo-transpiration for the projects. He said the Bapatla station ought to have been considered as an influencing station instead of Ongole. However, he clarified that AP has no dispute regarding the other two stations taken into account by Telangana.
During the course of arguments, Gupta also presented comparative tables relating to crop coefficients and referred to affidavits and cross-examination evidence of expert witnesses from both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Further arguments on behalf of Andhra Pradesh will continue on Tuesday.