AMARAVATI: The AP government has said there is no question of compromising on its share in Krishna waters. AP government has asked KRMB to make the allocation of water from Krishna projects in 70:30 ratio instead of the present 66:34 ratio. AP had in fact said that ratios would become 80:20 (AP:TS) if the utilization for minor irrigation projects by Telangana is taken into consideration.
AP's response came following Telangana's demand to share water in 50:50 ratio.
Interestingly, the KRMB has postponed the board meeting scheduled for August 27 to September 1.
In a letter to the KRMB, member secretary, AP engineer-in-chief C Narayana Reddy has said that there is no rationale in the demand of Telangana. He said that the ratio would in fact become 70:30 in case the allocation of minor irrigations schemes of Telangana-89 TMC was also taken into consideration. He said that they have raised the issue at board meeting held last year after Telangana wanted its quota of water for minor irrigation schemes.
However, the chairman, KRMB, said that the same arrangement 66:34 (AP:TS) may be continued, for which both the states have agreed. "It is to inform that the State of Telangana has put to utilize more than 175.54 TMC as against the allocated share of 89.15 TMC under minor irrigation schemes with restoration of about 16,163 tanks and construction of about 386 new minor irrigation tanks/check dams in Krishna Basin of Telangana State for irrigating an ayacut of 10,77,034 acres under mission Kakatiya," said Narayana Reddy.
He said the issue had already been brought to the notice of KRMB. "As the utilisation by the State of Telangana under minor irrigation of about 175 TMC ft is considered then the share of Krishna waters for utilising under major and medium projects would be in the ratio of 20.12:79.88 (i.e., (299-175) (512-22.11) for Telangana and Andhra Pradesh respectively," he explained. He said in case Telangana restricts its utilisations under minor irrigation to 89.15 TMC ft, then the share between the two states under major and medium irrigation projects would be 30:70 (TS:AP).
He said KWDT-I on consideration of all relevant materials, did not propose to impose any specific restrictions on Andhra Pradesh regarding diversion of water outside the basin for purposes of irrigation and also held that the diversion of the Inter-State River Krishna outside the river basin is legal.
