Farmers want main river link in Andhra Pradesh

VISAKHAPATNAM: The proposed Godavari and Krishna rivers linkage is now dragging in a new controversy. While welcoming the mega river linkage programme, several agencies and associations in Andhra Pradesh have alerted the government about the place for the main linkage. If the main linkage place was selected in Telangana State, farmers and NGOs working in the agriculture sector in AP have stated that it would be a big loss to Andhra Pradesh.

Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao announced that his counterpart in Andhra Pradesh Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy was willing to fill the Srisailam reservoir with Godavari water. Already the first phase of talks between him and Mr Reddy about the Godavari and Krishna rivers linkage was done and further clarity on the programme will be available after the next meeting.

Mr Rao also announced that both states would sign the agreement shortly and create wonders. Already, both states’ engineering officials had discussed the sharing of the Krishna and Godavari waters.

While welcoming the rivers’ linkage programme, farmers, several NGOs and societies have told the government that the main place of the linkage programme should in Andhra Pradesh. If the main place of the linkage was selected in Telangana, it would signal a heavy loss to Andhra Pradesh. According to the Bachavat tribunal, temporary sharing arrangements, with Andhra Pradesh consuming 512 TMC and Telangana consuming 299 TMCs water could be agreed upon.

“During the recent floods, the AP Government had diverted the water to Rayalaseema through Pothireddipadu Head Regulator. But Telangana had lodged a complaint with the Krishna River Manage-ment Board against the diversion of the floodwaters. Now both Chief Ministers are planning to link the Godavari and Krishna rivers. But the main place for the linkage should be in Andhra Pradesh. The Godavari water could be diverted from Pattiseema to Prakasam Barrage and from there the water could be diverted to Nagarjunasagar and Srisailam reservoirs by reverse pumping via Pulichintala,” said Andhra Pradesh Sagu-neeti Sanghala Viniyoga-darula Sanghala Sama-khya (AP Irrigation Water Consumers Associations Federation) state president Er. A Venkata Gopala Krishna Rao.

“The diversion of the water from Pattiseema to Srisailam reservoir is an easy process and would be completed at a cost of `20,000 crore and both governments should study the possibilities. According to the sharing arrangements of the Krishna water, AP is supposed to get 512 TMCs of water. If the AP government is not particular about the place of linkage of Godavari and Krishna and allows the place to be in Telangana, it would be a big loss to AP,” Krishna Rao added.