The Telangana Legislative Assembly has passed a resolution affirming the Congress government’s commitment not to hand over the control of common projects to the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) until the conditions put forth by the State are fulfilled.
The resolution stressed the need for water sharing between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh on the basis of catchment area, drought-prone area, basin population and cultivable area besides demanding that in-basin needs should be met first on priority as per the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-I award. Srisailam project had been sanctioned as hydro-electric project for supplying 264 tmcft water to Nagarjunasagar and accordingly, the minimum draw down level at Srisailam should be maintained at 830 ft.
Outside basin diversions from Srisailam reservoir should be limited to 34 tmcft — that includes 15 tmcft for Chennai water supply and 19 tmcft for Srisailam Right Bank Canal project — and the use towards drinking water should be reckoned as 20% of drawal towards consumptive use as stipulated by the KWDT-I.
Introducing the resolution in the Legislative Assembly on Monday, Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said States should be permitted to carry over water to the next year in accordance with the KWDT-I award and should not be accounted as use in the next year’s account. Unauthorised construction of projects/ expansions/ new components diverting Krishna water to outside basin should not be permitted strictly unless they are approved by the Central Water Commission or the Ministry of Water Resources.
The Minister said the resolution was introduced to clear the apprehensions/ doubts among the people because of the efforts of vested interests in that direction. He said the government was firm on protecting the interests of the State which were neglected by the close to 10-year rule of the Bharat Rashtra Samiti.
