Showdown at Nagarjuna Sagar dam

Andhra-Telangana WATER WAR

Vijayawada: The Nagarjuna Sagar dam on the Krishna river, named after an acclaimed Buddhist scholar and apostle of peace Nagarjuna, on Monday turned out to be a mute witness for a fresh round of raging water war between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh states.

The river forms boundaries between AP’s Guntur and TS’ Nalgonda districts. The engineers from the two Telugu states resorted to a showdown over release of water from the dam for the right canal to meet drinking water needs in Guntur and Prakasam districts.

While Andhra Engineers accused their Telangana counterparts of using the special protection force (SPF) allegedly to scuttle the direction of the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) for the release of 5.6tmcft of water to meet the drinking water needs in the AP’s two coastal districts, taking strong objection to the release of 2tmcft of water from Nagarjuna Sagar to Andhra Pradesh without addressing drinking water crisis in Hyderabad, the Telangana government is contemplating to lodge a fresh complaint with the KRMB over excess release of water from the dam.

According to a senior official of the Irrigation department, the Telangana government had already demanded the Krishna River Management Board to address the drinking water requirement of Hyderabad. It had requested 5 TMC of water but the board had allocated only 4 TMC for drinking water purposes.

In the backdrop of this situation, releasing 2 TMC to Andhra Pradesh now was not appropriate and goes against the spirit of the AP State Reorganisation Act, the sources said.

On the other hand Nimmagadda Venkateswara Rao, deputy engineer from the AP Irrigation department told The Hans India that his colleagues, including EE Jabbar and a host of junior engineers were roughed up by the SPF personnel when they questioned the action of the Telangana engineers.

He said a complaint will be lodged with the Vijayapuri police against RI Suresh for allegedly manhandling the Andhra engineers.

According to information, quantum of water to be released from the dam was pruned to 3,000 cusecs from 7,000 on Monday allegedly at the behest of the Telangana Engineer-in-Chief, leading to a tussle.

The right main canal is receiving water at the rate of 7,000 cusecs per day from April 24 in line with the board’s decision. The canal received only 3.6tmcft of water from the river till date and it will take another 3-4 days for drawl of full quantum of water as stipulated by the board, it is said.

When the Telangana engineers reduced the quantum of water ‘arbitrarily’, their Andhra counterparts resorted to a protest at the main gates of the dam. The police however physically removed them, it is said. The KRMB has allowed AP to draw water until the levels come down to 503ft from 505 in the dam.

The AP government approached the board for water releases from the Krishna river so as to tide over the acute drinking water crisis in Guntur and Prakasam districts.

The summer storage tanks in the two districts are to be filled with the Sagar water flowing through the right canal following the board’s decision. Most of the tanks went dry and are due to receive the precious liquid.

People in rural parts of the two districts are depending on tankers for water supply and water crisis triggered a boom in water business in several areas. In Guntur city, the denizens are coughing up huge amounts on tank waters for household use.

Meanwhile, inhabitants in remote and seaside areas in Krishna district such as Nagayalanka, Avanigadda and Kaikaluru are left high and dry. They are reportedly not entitled to receive the sagar water in view of the Pattiseema Lift Scheme launched by the government to supply 80tmcft of the Godavari water for the Krishna delta.

Peasant leader Akkineni Bhavani Prasad said the people in the tail-end areas of the canal system are neither receiving the Krishna water nor the Godavari water through the lift scheme.