The Krishna River Management Board (KRMB), caught in the cross-fire between the two member States – Andhra Pradesh and Telangana — over the issue of river water share is planning to hold a full-board meeting next week at least to discuss the water sharing arrangement at least for the current water year.
Postponement of the three-member committee meeting scheduled for July 9 had become inevitable on the day Telangana government wrote to the board seeking its postponement and requesting for a full-board meeting anytime after July 20. “There’s no point in having the meeting called for discussing the water sharing arrangement for the current year with one of the member-States making up its mind to stay away,” an official of the river board said on Friday.
The board is likely to convene a meeting only after July 12, when the next hearing in the southern zone bench of National Green Tribunal (NGT) is scheduled on the alleged violation of the tribunal order in case of Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme (RLIS) of AP. The river board planned to visit the RLIS site for more than four months but could not do so due to AP’s refusal to allow the team.
At a time when the two States are engaged in a bitter row over sharing the river water, particularly in the backdrop of work taken up on Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme (RLIS) by AP and hydel generation at the inter-state reservoirs Srisailam, Nagarjunasagar and Pulichintala by Telangana, the river board has been at the receiving end from the two sides.
“The States have been writing a series of letters to the board seeking action against one another, but the board is practically toothless in the absence of clarity on the allocation of water between the two States following bifurcation of AP,” the board official said.
As Telangana was against the agenda circulated for the July 9 meeting, which only had the issues raised by AP, the board is expected to accommodate some issues raised by Telangana too in the next meeting. Officially, Telangana has written to the board seeking revision of water sharing, measures to stop RLIS and Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme right canal taken up by AP.
“We will insist on allocation of 45 tmcft of additional water as per the terms of the Bachawat award since the Central Water Commission has given clearance to Polavaram project and Godavari water is being diverted to Krishna Delta through Pattiseema project,” a Telangana official said.
