In the backdrop of Krishna Basin projects facing water shortage due to lack of sufficient flood supplementation from the upstream areas in Karnataka and Maharashtra so far this season, Telangana Government has raised the issue of excess water drawal by Andhra Pradesh during the 2022-23 water year before the Krishna River Management Board.
Highlighting that AP had utilised 205.2 tmc ft water in excess to its entitlement of 50% share during the last water year – from June 1, 2022 to May 31, 2023, Engineer-in-Chief (Irrigation-General) of Telangana C. Muralidhar brought to KRMB Chairman Shiv Nandan Kumar’s notice through a letter that AP had drawn 51,745 tmc ft excess water over its entitled share even in case the ad hoc ratio of 66%, which was being followed without Telangana’s consent year after year, is considered.
At the same time Telangana had saved water out of its entitlement with efficient utilisation and stored in the common reservoirs for its usage in the lean months, the ENC pointed out and requested the River Board Chairman to allow Telangana to utilise the water saved as also the water it was entitled in the excess flows this (2023-24) water year.
“Since Telangana does not have exclusive offline storage facility in the Krishna Basin, it has kept its share of 18.701 tmc ft out of its entitlement from the 34% ration being forced upon it in the common reservoir Nagarjunasagar for the purpose of drinking water and irrigation requirements in the early months of 2023-24 water year”, Mr. Muralidhar said. The same was also informed to the River Board through a letter addressed on May 31, 2023, he mentioned.
Further, the ENC requested the River Board to account for the AP’s excess utilisation as on May 31 against its utilisation this year and it be reconciled at the next three-member committee meeting. He drew the Chairman’s attention to the proceedings of the 17th meeting of the River Board wherein the Chairman had stated that the carry over could interfere with the storage for the next year and would require consensus by the member States.
However, there was no interference of storage as level of Nagarjunasagar was just 515.6 ft as on August 10 against the full reservoir level of 590 ft with the reservoir having flood cushion of 170 tmc ft. The stored water would interfere with the fresh inflows this year only when spill over happens and Telangana is entitled to utilise the stored water of 18.7 tmc ft till the reservoir level reaches 590 ft as the carry over storage would not interfere till the reservoir becomes surplus.
