TS government shoots off missive to Centre on AP's excess drawl of K-G water

Hyderabad: The State government has demanded the Centre to stop Andhra Pradesh from utilising excess river Godavari water through the Polavaram project.

In a letter to the Union Jal Shakti ministry, State Special Chief Secretary (Irrigation) Rajat Kumar said that AP should be restricted to 493.50 tmcft of assured water and the schemes having potential to utilise more than 493.50 tmcft may immediately be stopped. He requested to intervene and direct the AP government to stop from proceeding ahead with 'unauthorised' schemes. "This is a matter of great concern, not only to Telangana, but also to the other

upper riparian States, as this would enable AP to draw and utilise waters much in excess of their allocation", he said. AP has constructed

and is operating various lift irrigation scheme (LIS) such as Pushkara (11.8 tmcft), Chagalnadu (2.85 tmcft), Thorrigedda (2.41 tmcft) on the left side and Tadipudi (14.47 tmcft), Pattiseema (80 tmcft) on the right side. All these schemes shall be subsumed once PIP (Polavaram irrigation Project) comes into operation. In terms of the approval accorded for PIP it has to be ensured that AP does not claim any protection/share of assured/surplus water for such schemes in future.

The PIP is to be executed with two canals for ultimate utilisation of 449.78 tmcft. However, the canals are presently under execution with 496 Cumecs each (@3 tmcft/day) which enables AP to draw far greater than 449.78 tmcft, he explained in the letter.

Additionally, it is informed that the AP government is also undertaking certain surplus/flood based projects viz., Venkatanagaram (3.62 tmcft), Uttarandra Sujala Sravanthi Project /Purushothapatnam (63.2 tmcft) and Chinthalapudi (53 tmcft under two phases) for serving outside the basin area, which cannot be claimed by it for utilisation based on assured waters.

"As a matter of fact, these projects including Godavari-Pennar link (350 tmcft) cannot be undertaken based on surplus flood waters either, without the appraisal of GRMB and approval of Apex Council.

In addition to these schemes, AP is also undertaking LL schemes from dead storage of PIP impacting the intended utilisation under it. All these projects impact the GDS utilisation (224.3 tmcft of 493.50 tmcft). It is not warranted for AP to undertake these unauthorised projects while at the same time raising objections on Telangana projects (all grounded in erstwhile AP based on assured waters) citing non-availability of waters from the Godavari.

The role of the ministry in ensuring compliance is of particular importance as PIP has been declared as a national project and as such any unauthorised drawls/constructions will also be seen a serious issue, Rajat Kumar said.

He also raised the issue of river Krishna water sharing between Telangana and AP The KRMB has been making water sharing arrangement in the ratio of 66: 34 (AP:TS). Citing the original decision taken in 2015. This, in effect, is perpetuating the very injustice against which the Telangana

movement was directed. Despite a request, KRMB allowed AP to draw water far in excess of their legitimate claim of 34 tmcft, though this was raised before the board on several occasions. Telangana was demanding water distribution in ratio of 50:50 for the water year 2022-23, keeping in view the requirement of 105 tmcft for three operational projects--SLBC, Kalwakurthy and Nettempadu lift schemes serving an ayacut of about 10-12 lakh acres within the Krishna basin.