Hyderabad: The Telangana government has decided to seek 402 tmc ft of Krishna waters at the Krishna River Management Board meeting convened by Union ministry of water resources in New Delhi on June 21. The board is unlikely to make any headway as TS government wants to wait for the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal verdict on water allocations to both states.
The Tribunal hearing is slated for July 8. In case the award is delayed, TS wants allocation of waters as per Bachawat Award of last year, along with its due share in two AP projects etc. The TS government has strongly opposed KRBM draft notification to take control of irrigation projects which led to convening of the meeting.
It insists that KRBM has only regulatory powers and no power to allocate waters or take control of projects. Irrigation minister T. Harish Rao told DC on Friday that the state government will seek 402 tmc ft of Krishna river waters this season out of the total 811 tmc ft earmarked for undivided AP.
This includes the state’s original share of 299 tmc ft, besides the share of two new projects constructed by AP government and additional withdrawal by AP last season. Undivided AP was allocated 811 tmc ft and the then government earmarked 511 tmc for Seemandhra and 299 tmc for Telangana region as per the Bachawat Award. Project-wise allocation of Godavari and Krishna rivers is yet to be made for both the states by the respective tribunals.
“It’s like this. Originally, we have to get 299 tmc ft. Since AP constructed Polavaram and Pattiseema, we are eligible to get 45 TMC ft each as our share since as an upper riparian state. Government of India said that Pattiseema is a not part of Polavaram project but a new project. The total comes to 389 tmc ft. AP withdrew an additional 13 tmc ft so save crop from withering. The total comes to 402 tmc ft,” Mr Harish Rao said.
