Krishna River Management Board to meet tomorrow in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: The Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) would meet on June 4 to discuss the issues of irrigation projects of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The meeting would be presided over by chairman of KRMB Paramesh, principal secretaries and engineer in chiefs of irrigation of both the States would participate. The meeting would take place in Hyderabad.

The KRMB has proposed the meeting in view of escalating tensions between both the states on the irrigation projects. Both the States have made allegations against each other after Andhra Pradesh government issued an order expanding the capacity of the Pothireddypadu Head Regulator and on Rayalaseema irrigation projects.

Telangana has argued that by expanding PRP capacity, AP would take away more water than it has been assured. It has also alleged that AP has been utilizing more water than allocated. On the other hand Andhra Pradesh has alleged that Telangana has planned lift projects like Dindi, Bhakta Ramadas, Tummilla and Palamuru-Ranga Reddy without allocation of water in the Krishna Basin.

Telangana government has demanded that telemetry system should be established at Srisailam to check usage of water by the Andhra Pradesh. There are demands for keeping the reservoir under the surveillance of CRPF. Opposition parties of Telangana have been holding agitations on the issue for the past few weeks.

They have been demanding controlling Andhra Pradesh government from looting the water in Krishna River. Officials of the Telangana irrigation department said that the KRMB would hear the arguments of both the states and report them to the Apex Council being headed by Union Water Resources minister.