AP to Press for Three Demands at Krishna River Management Board Meeting
AP intends to seek sharing of the available water in the two reservoirs in the ratio of 66:34 between AP and Telangana until May next year, mainly to meet drinking water requirements.
Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh government is planning to raise three major issues at the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) meeting scheduled to be held in Hyderabad on October 1, seeking to protect the State’s water interests.
The first issue to be raised is the shifting of the KRMB headquarters, currently located in Hyderabad, to Andhra Pradesh.
Though the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, provides for the KRMB headquarters to be located in Andhra Pradesh and the Godavari River Management Board (GRMB) headquarters in Hyderabad, the headquarters of both boards are currently located in Hyderabad.
The AP government is planning to press for the KRMB headquarters to be shifted preferably to Amaravati, the capital of Andhra Pradesh, where the State government has been developing infrastructure to accommodate various institutions.
As several Central government offices are also functioning in Vijayawada, the KRMB headquarters could be accommodated in one of these offices until a permanent facility is established, the government feels.
The second major issue is the issuance of a water release order by the KRMB for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
With no inflows from the upstream Almatti dam into the Srisailam reservoir and no significant inflows into the Nagarjuna Sagar reservoir, AP intends to seek sharing of the available water in the two reservoirs in the ratio of 66:34 between AP and Telangana until May next year, mainly to meet drinking water requirements.
Thirdly, the AP government is expected to raise the contentious issue of handing over 15 major common components of projects, including the Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar projects, to the KRMB for operation and control.
The major components include the spillway and left and right bank power houses of the Srisailam project, and the power houses, left main canal and right main canal of the Nagarjuna Sagar project, among others.
The issue of handing over the major components to the KRMB was deliberated upon at a board meeting three to four years ago.
Subsequently, the Centre issued a gazette notification on July 15, 2021, providing for the handing over of major common components of projects located in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to the KRMB in accordance with the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014.
However, the process did not materialise. Both AP and Telangana subsequently approached the Supreme Court, with Telangana challenging the Centre’s gazette notification and seeking its dismissal.
Andhra Pradesh, meanwhile, has been seeking the handing over of the common components to the KRMB.
The matter remains pending before the apex court.
The AP government intends to raise these issues at the KRMB meeting in the hope that they can be resolved amicably without creating further conflict of interest between the two states.
