Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Friday addressed a letter to Union Water Resources Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat seeking transfer of operational control of Srisailam reservoir from Andhra Pradesh to Telangana.
The 14-page letter requested the Central government to immediately direct the Andhra Pradesh government to stop work on expansion of Pothireddypadu Head Regulator and construction of Rayalaseema lift-irrigation scheme. In order to enforce this, the operational control of Srisailam reservoir, which now rested with AP, should be handed over to Telangana immediately.
Mr. Rao wrote the letter to Mr. Shekhawat ahead of the second round of Apex Council meeting on river water disputes with Andhra Pradesh on October 6. He requested the latter to include the allocation of water issues raised by him in the letter as agenda items of the meeting to be attended virtually by both of them and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy.
The issues flagged by Mr. Rao on Krishna river included a) instances of injustice meted out to Telangana in sharing river water in the erstwhile State of Andhra Pradesh; b) right of Telangana to know about its share and efforts made by Telangana government in this regard; c) illegal Pothireddypadu head regulator project and its unauthorised expansion by Andhra Pradesh which will irreversibly compromise the interests and rights of Telangana; d) ineffective supervision by Krishna river management board; and e) issues related to Section 89 of AP Reorganisation Act.
On Godavari river, Mr. Rao wanted discussion on a) objections of Andhra Pradesh about ongoing projects of Telangana on the river; and b) utilisation of Godavari waters.
In point-by-point elaboration of issues that he highlighted, Mr. Rao said relief to Telangana in getting its rightful share in Krishna river had not been realised due to gross inaction on the part of Central government. The injustices meted out to Telangana in combined State were recorded by Bachawat Award itself.
Every State had a Constitutional right to get a fair and equitable allocation of river water. However, Telangana was still waiting to know its legitimate share of water even after seven years of its formation.
The Pothireddypadu head regulator expansion and the Rayalaseema lift irrigation scheme were illegal as their original project itself had no water allocation nor approval by any statutory authority since the water was meant to be sent outside Krishna basin.
Commenting on the ineffective supervision of Krishna river water management board, he said the board was a mute spectator to large-scale drawal of water from the head regulator in spite of repeated complaints by Telangana. The board shockingly instructed Telangana to stop hydel generation on left bank canal of Srisailam power house which catered to the State.
On Section 89 of State Reorganisation Act, he said its provisions mandated Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal - II to make project wise specific allocation and determine an operational protocol for release of water in the event of deficit flows. However, the terms of reference of the tribunal did not permit inter-se reallocation of water to Telangana and AP.
Referring to Godavari river, Mr. Rao said the objections of AP on seven projects taken up by Telangana on the river could not be called new. The objections were a complete farce as the projects were contemplated, designed and grounded in the combined State.
Mr. Rao asserted that Telangana will use 1,950 tmc ft water in the river as against the present allocation of 967.15 tmc ft since the region was allocated 65.13 % water in the river in the combined State.
