AP seeks 70 percent of Krishna water share for 2021-22

VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh has sought Krishna river water sharing between it and Telangana at 70:30 ratio for the present water year 2021-22 until the decision of Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II (KWDT) award is published.

AP water resources department engineer-in-chief C. Narayana Reddy wrote a letter to the member secretary of the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) here on Wednesday, asking for water sharing ratio between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to be 70:30, subject to Telangana restricting its utilisation of water of 89.15 tmc ft under minor irrigation as per allocation of KWDT-I.

The AP water resources authorities wrote the letter against the backdrop of Telangana asking the KRMB for an ad hoc share of water at 50:50 ratio in Krishna river between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana till the finalisation of KWDT-II for the current water year. Telangana has come up with some reasons for its decision which include: Tribunal awards did not mark project wise specific allocations, KWDT-I and II emphasised that priority may be given to the inside basin needs than outside basin and AP unapproved and unauthorised diversion capacity of 4.7 tmc ft per day from Srisailam to outside basin whereas Telangana has only 0.28 tmc ft per day through lifting and within the basin.

The AP authorities said Telangana was utilising more than 175.54 tmc ft of water against the allocated share of 89.15 tmc ft under minor irrigation schemes with restoration of nearly 16,163 tanks and construction of about 386 new minor irrigation tanks in Krishna basin of Telangana for irrigating an ayacut of 10.77 lakh acres under Mission Kakatiya and added that they had brought this development to the notice of the KRMB. They said if the utilisation of water by Telangana under minor irrigation of about 175 tmc ft, then the share of Krishna waters for utilising under major and medium projects would be in the ratio of 20.12:79.88 for Telangana and AP respectively. However, they stated if Telangana could restrict its utilisation under minor irrigation allocation to 89.15 tmc ft, then the share between both Telangana and AP under major and minor irrigation projects would be at 30:70 ratio respectively.

Referring to Telangana’s contention that it had put forth the demand for 771 tmc ft water before KWDT-II and thereby asking for sharing of water at the ratio of 50:50 till finalisation of KWDT-II award, AP authorities said they too placed the demand for 1,059 tmc ft of water before the tribunal.

Moreover, the authorities said the KRMB had no jurisdiction for consideration of such issues pending before KWDT-II as it was mandated only to regularise the supply of water from the projects to the successor states having regard to awards granted by the tribunals constructed under Interstate River Water Disputes Act, 1956.