Citing El Nino, AP Seeks More Water From Krishna

This year’s El Nino and poor overall monsoon appears to have come in handy for Andhra Pradesh to request that it be allowed to use more water from Krishna river. Citing requirements to meet drinking water needs, the AP water resources department has asked the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) to use 47 tmc ft till October 31 of this year, out of the 146.55 tmc ft of water available in the common reservoirs of Srisailam, and Nagarjunasagar.

In a letter to the KRMB last week, the AP irrigation engineer-in-chief said AP had used 13.62 tmc ft of water this season, compared to Telangana’s 20.06 tmc ft from the Krishna. After deducting the already used water, the 70 per cent rightful share of AP came to 115.70 tmc ft while Telangana’s 30 per cent share came to 30.85 tmc ft.

Following the letter from AP, the KRMB in a letter asked the Telangana irrigation department for its views and observations at the earliest so the same may be discussed at the next KRMB meeting of the three-member committee comprising AP, Telangana, and KRMB. Telangana, it is learnt, was yet to respond.

Andhra Pradesh said the 47 tmc ft it was seeking now could be followed by more requirements in the periods following October and that it should be allowed to use 33 tmc ft from Srisailam and 14 tmc ft from Nagarjunsagar in the interim. The available water in the common reservoirs, AP said, must be used only to meet drinking water needs as forecasts indicate that the rest of this water year will experience a significant deficit in inflows.

The government of Andhra Pradesh, AP’s letter also said, “intends to closely monitor the availability of water and regulate its utilization in a judicious manner duly giving high priority to drinking water requirements.”