Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, on Monday, complained against Andhra Pradesh for drawing more than its allocated share of water from the Krishna River to Union Jal Shakti minister CR Patil.
He said that the neighbouring state had designed the interlinking of rivers through the Godavari-Banakacherla Project without seeking statutory approvals.
The chief minister, who was accompanied by Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy, also demanded that Telangana should be allocated more water from Krishna since nearly 70 per cent of the river flows through the state. He also urged the Union minister to approve pending irrigation projects from Telangana and provide the required funds.
The chief minister flew to New Delhi on Monday to meet Union Jal Shakti minister CR Patil along with officials, and held a prolonged meeting to explain the state’s water woes. He urged Patil to allocate a fair share of Krishna River water to Telangana. He requested the Union minister to allocate 70 per cent of the river water to the state because nearly 70 per cent of the river flows through Telangana. However, the Krishna River Board Management (KRMB) allocated 66 per cent to AP and the rest to Telangana, complained the chief minister while accusing the board’s chairman of failing to be impartial.
He said telemetry machines should be installed for projects on Krishna the cost of which Telangana was ready to bear. He urged the Union minister to take a call on AP’s projects only after allocating water to the upper riparian state.
Reddy also complained about the delay in granting approval for irrigation projects for Telangana, including Palmuru Ranga Reddy Lift Irrigation Project, Sitarama Lift Irrigation project and Sammaka Sagar barrages. He said the AP government has not obtained clearances from Central Water Commission, Godavari River Management Board and Krishna River Management Board for its upcoming Godavari-Banakacherla Lift Irrigation project. The project was mentioned in the AP Budget speech but no funds were allocated to it by the state government.
“We also raised the issues about Telangana’s pending projects and that Andhra Pradesh is taking away our share of Krishna River water, and Telangana farmers are suffering because of it. Many projects are pending with the Government of India and the Ministry of Jal Shakti,” said Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy after the meeting concluded.