Government shoots off letter to KRMB, demands 50 pc Krishna water

Hyderabad: The State government on Tuesday demanded the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) to implement ad-hoc river Krishna water sharing at 50:50 per cent to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana from this water year (2021-2022) till finalisation of KWDT-2 (Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal).

In a letter to KRMB chairman MP Singh, State Engineer-in-chief ( Irrigation) C Muralidhar said that Telangana was still suffering large distress due to insufficient water even after the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.

He said that based on the parameters such as catchment area, cultivable area, drought- prone area and population, the Telangana is entitled for 70.8 : 29.2 ( TS : AP) in the Krishna water. "Telangana has put forth demands of 771 tmcft allocation for its drought-pronje areas before KWDT-2 . It is pertinent to recall that KWDT-1 ( 1976) and KWDT -2 (2013) have emphasised that priority shall be given to in the basin areas before allowing to outside basin areas. The KWDT-2 is adjudicating the matter under Section 89 proceedings," said Muralidhar.

Muralidhar pointed out that, till KWDT-2 finalised its award, the TS government has been asking for share in the ratio of 50:50 out of the water available in the river Krishna for this year. He complained that AP has a large unapproved and unauthorised diversion capability of 4.7 tmcft a day from Srisailam and over 300 tmcft storage in Pennar and other basins where it can store such diverted water from the Krishna. Telangana has only 0.28 tmcft a day, that too through lifting, he added.