Hyderabad: Congress Leader Marri Shashidhar Reddy says YS Jagan plotting to steal Krishna water

AP issued an order to lift about 7 tmcft of water from Pothireddypadu Head Regulator. The order provides for drawal of 7 tmcft from Srisailam Reservoir and 3 tmcft every day from Sangameswaram. As a result, Jurala and other projects on Krishna would lose assured water and it would lead to drying up of Mahabubnagar and Nalgonda districts– Marri Shashidhar Reddy

Hyderabad: Attempts of Andhra Pradesh government to lift more water from Pothireddypadu Head Regulator on the Krishna River may spark another water war between the Telugu states. Protagonists of Telangana have urged the KCR government to prevent lifting of more water from Pothireddypadu.

Recently, the AP government issued an order to lift about 7 tmcft of water from Pothireddypadu Head Regulator. The order allows Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme to lift 7 tmcft from Srisailam Reservoir and 3 tmcft every day from Sangameswaram.

Capacity of Pothireddypadu head regulator will be increased to facilitate lifting of more water. This would be doubled from 44,000 cusecs per day to 80,000 cusecs to draw more water.

Senior Congress leader Marri Shashidhar Reddy, who opposed rise in capacity of Pothireddypadu HR in 2004 when it was initiated, told The Hans India that when late CM YSR proposed to increase the capacity from 11,000 to 40,000 cusecs, he and P Janardhan Reddy fought with government to safeguard the interests of Telangana. He recalled that AP CM YS Jaganmohan Reddy had said in December last that they would double the capacity of the Pothireddypadu Head Regulator from 40,000 to 80,000 cusecs.

Explaining the history of Pothireddypadu HR, Shashidhar Reddy said that in 2005, YSR decided to increase the capacity as the number of days of flood was poised to fall to 30 days from 90 days because of Almatti and Narayanpur dams in Karnataka.

The N factor, slope of the head regulator canal and lining, allows the flow of 90,000 cusecs from Srisailam dam. It allows drawing about 8 tmcft in 24 hours. It the water is taken even for 12 days, about 100 tmcft would go to AP projects.

The Congress leader pointed out that the Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of Srisailam Project is 885ft with minimum draw down level (MDDL) of 805 ft. Pothireddypadu was designed as part of Telugu Ganga Project to divert 15 tmcft assured water for Chennai and also to utilise the flood water.

The original capacity of Pothireddypadu was 11,000 cusecs, at sill level of 841 ft, to draw 1 tmcft per day for about 90 days. The MDDL was changed to 834 ft, as per GO issued in 1996. In 2004 the MDDL was increased to 854 ft by the YSR government to facilitate drawing of more water from Pothireddypadu.

Shashidhar Reddy said that if the capacity of the head regulator is increased again Andhra Pradesh would be able to draw more water than now and it would deprive Telangana of assured water. He said that the Jurala and other projects being constructed on Krishna River to serve the irrigation interests of Telangana would suffer with no assured water and it would lead to dry up of Mahabubnagar and Nalgonda districts.

He wondered why CM KCR was maintaining silence on the issue. He said that while both the Telugu states are focusing on Coronavirus issues, the AP government was planning to loot Krishna water.