Telangana Government has asked the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) to stop Andhra Pradesh from dumping the rubble/soil/debris generated from the excavation of tunnel of the Veligonda lift irrigation project in the backwaters of Srisailam reservoir by taking up an immediate inspection of the site and proper assessment.
In a letter addressed to Chairman of the river board M.P. Singh, Engineer-in-Chief (Irrigation-General) of Telangana C. Muralidhar brought to the latter’s notice that the matter had come to its notice through a newspaper report a couple of days back. He stated that the contractor of the Veligonda project was illegally dumping the tunnel muck into the backwaters of Srisailam reservoir, threatening its water holding capacity further, with the help of rafts particularly during the night times.
Further, the Telangana ENC stated that rubble generated by the Veligonda project works (tunnel) at Kothuru in Dornal mandal of Prakasam district was also being dumped along the banks of Krishna river as also thousands of tonnes of waste material into the reservoir water for many days.
Mr. Muralidhar explained that the water storage capacity of Srisailam reservoir, now a joint facility of AP and Telangana, had diminished drastically due to silt over the years. From 309 tmc ft at the time of its construction, the water holding capacity of the reservoir had come down to about 216 tmc ft as assessed several years ago and its capacity could be much lesser at present.
The Telangana official also expressed concern over the impact of dumping hazardous waste including the explosives’ compounds into the reservoir waters as it would affect cultivation and drinking water needs. He requested the river board to obtain full details from AP and initiate necessary action to prevent further dumping of debris into Srisailam affecting both water storage and quality.
