Hyderabad: Unhappy with Telangana’s proposals to divert 100 tmcft of Krishna waters through two new projects, the AP government will be protesting to the Krishna River Management Board and the Centre.
AP irrigation department engineer-in-chief, A.B. Venkateswara Rao, has already submitted a detailed report on this to the AP government raising concerns that diverting the waters will hit Krishna-based AP projects.
The AP principal secretary for irrigation, Mr B. Adityanath Das, told DC that they hoped that the Telangana government would follow the due procedures laid down in the AP Reorganisation Act as well as the norms of the Central Water Commission.
AP is primarily concerned about the two announcements made by Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and major irrigation minister T. Harish Rao, who ordered a detailed survey for diverting around 100 tmcft of Krishna waters through the Palamuru lift scheme (70 TMC ft) and Jurala-Pakala gravitational canal (around 60 TMC ft).
KCR had also recently said in the Assembly that the Telangana government would soon consult the Karnataka government for diverting waters either from Narayanapur or Almatti Dam, which are in Karnataka, to facilitate the Jurala-Pakala gravitational canal.
He has been stating that these two proposals are nothing new and were there before AP state formation in 1956, and were abandoned later.
“We have sent a detailed report on these two proposals to the government and on the likely impact on the Krishna water inflows into Srisailam. If Karnataka raises the height of the Almatti Dam from the present 519 meters to 524 meters, and another four meters free board for operations, there will be an adverse impact on Krishna flows into AP and Telangana. With Telangana proposing two more schemes now, the prospect of AP getting assured waters will be permanently hit,” said Mr Venkateswara Rao.
As per the AP Reorganisation Act, it is for AP or TS to bring any new constructions based on Krishna River to the KRMB’s notice as it alone is empowered to allow it after consulting the two governments. Thereafter, the CWC needs to approve the hydraulic clearances for the projects.
“We are watching the situation. So far TS has not proposed any scheme. There are only statements and two GOs pertaining to a feasibility stud. We will be vigilant and report to KRMB,” Mr Das said.
