Telangana State Asks KRMB To Stop Water Drawals by AP From Nagarjunasagar

Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh, for all practical purposes, has had its way with respect to its demand for 9 tmc ft of water from Nagarjunasagar. It has so far drawn 8.5 tmc ft of water from Krishna river, despite the Krishna River Management Board allocating it only 5.5 tmc ft.

AP has so far withdrawn 3 tmc ft without permission from the Nagarjunasagar tail pond starting on April 13, and 5.501 tmc ft as per the Krishna River Management Board’s allocation.

Sources in the Telangana irrigation department said AP “acted in a high-handed manner” to have its way. The department wrote to the KRMB on April 15 asking it to stop the water releases immediately to Andhra Pradesh, saying any further release of water would be considered “unauthorised.”

Incidentally, at a KRMB meeting on Monday, which Telangana state officials did not attend, AP is learnt to have asked the board to keep the flows in the canal open till April 25.

Andhra Pradesh officials who took part in the online meeting with Board officials, said it was still to get 2.5 tmc ft of water from a previous allocation. However, with TS officials skipping the meeting, it is not known if the state objected to the latest demand from Andhra Pradesh.