Stop illegal power generation by TS: AP to KRMB

VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh government requested the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) to direct Telangana not to operate powerhouses at Srisailam, Nagarjunasagar and Pulichintala projects.

AP water resources department engineer-in-chief C. Narayana Reddy wrote a letter to the member secretary of KRMB on Monday stating that power generation should be only secondary in the downstream, and as both Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar are common reservoirs, Telangana should not operate powerhouses unilaterally.

He mentioned that against this backdrop, the KRMB should direct Telangana not to operate powerhouses of Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar without water release orders from the board. He said the powerhouse at Pulichintala should not be operated by Telangana without an indent placed by Andhra Pradesh for water requirement in Krishna delta system (KDS).

The AP government put forth its views on inter-state aspects in response to Telangana writing a letter to the KRMB in respect of power generation at L/S powerhouse at NSRSP Srisailam project.

The then planning commission and the Centre accorded approval for Srisailam hydroelectric project on March 26, 1964 and in the project report, it was clearly indicated that the waters intended for use in Nagarjunasagar canals could be utilised only at the head available at Srisailam dam and those intended for use in KDS could be used at total head available at Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar dams. The project report also envisaged that a portion of water at Srisailam dam would be utilised for irrigation in Rayalaseema area which was proposed to be irrigated under Siddeswaram dam and since the latter is now omitted, the irrigation needs could be met by construction of necessary tunnels at a later date leading the water from Srisailam storage. It further said that though the project was initially cleared as a hydroelectric project, it was also envisaged to cater to the irrigation needs of Rayalaseema region at a later stage.

The letter mentioned that it was the prerogative of AP to utilise the allocated water in any manner as it deemed proper and at its discretion within its territory as per clause XV of KWDT-I and pointed out that Telangana could not impose restrictions on AP to use its allocated share of waters within its territory.

It said with regard to Chennai water supply, 15 tmc ft of Krishna water should be supplied to Chennai city in two spells between July-October and January-April. It also said that the quantity of 170 tmc ft and 124 tmc ft of waters diverted through PRP during 2019-20 and 2020-2021 include not only for SRBC and Chennai water supply but for projects dependent on flood water of TGP and GNSS as per the liberty granted under clause V(c) of KWDT-1 and AP could divert and utilise the remaining water during flood period. These diversions also include release of water for the management and mitigation of flood as per provision of Eleventh Schedule of APRA-2014.