Telangana Government has requested the Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) to keep in abeyance the clearances given by the Central Water Commission (CWC) to Upper Tunga and Upper Bhadra projects in Karnataka till the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II (KWDT-II) Award is published, stating that several interstate aspects related to allocation of water were not examined.
In a letter addressed to Secretary of MoJS Pankaj Kumar, Special Chief Secretary (Irrigation) of Telangana Rajat Kumar stated that while giving clearance to Upper Tunga and Upper Bhadra projects the Project Appraisal Directorate (South) of CWC did not examine several interstate aspects related to water allocation made by KWDT-I and subsequent developments during the proceedings before KWDT-II.
He pointed out that liberty in the en bloc utilisation of Krishna waters was not applicable to K-8 sub-basin in toto as utilisations in the sub-basin were subjected to several restrictions explicitly mandated in Clause-IX of KWDT-I Award. An examination of KWDT-I report would make it clear that the Tribunal did not allocate any water to Upper Tunga and Upper Bhadra project, Mr. Rajak Kumar noted.
“As such, Karnataka can’t re-allocate water under en bloc utilisation unless it satisfies the conditions laid down by the Tribunal. Contrary to the same, Karnataka has re-allocated water to the projects in K-8 sub-basin disregarding the restrictions imposed by KDWT-I”, the Special Chief Secretary of Telangana said in his letter to MoJS Secretary. He added that such re-allocation would result in over appropriation of waters of Tungabhadra depriving the interests of lower riparian States.
Further, he stated that the CWC had failed to examine the key aspect while giving clearance to Upper Tunga and Upper Bhadra projects. “In fact, CWC ought to have considered clearance to the two projects only after KWDT-II Award is published and commensurate to the quantity of water allocated at appropriate dependability as KWDT-I itself had provided review of its award any time after May 31, 2000”, Mr. Rajat Kumar stated citing the KWDT-I Award.
