Water Release Order Violated By AP, Telangana Govt Tells Centre:- The State’s consent to maintain the water level at 854 feet at the Srisailam dam was withdrawn by the Telangana State Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao.
Harish Rao said that “mainly due to the unprofessional approach of the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) and partly, at times, un-accommodative stand taken by AP, the situation had arisen.
To support this claim, Rao even cited instances. He said that to release optimum quantity of water stored in Srisailam to Nagarjunasagar dam, the KRMB had failed in the ongoing water year, to meet the requirements of the left bank.
“The efforts made by the KRMB have been half hearted and ineffective to stop further withdrawals from the Pothireddypadu head regulator,” he said.
(Video Source: NTV Telugu)
The “non-consumptive use of water from Srisailam power houses by both states as violation of water release orders” have been equated by the board, added Mr. Rao. The water release order by the KRMB has been violated by the AP and moreover, through Pothiredd-padu, it used more than the allocated 5 tmc ft. The water for its electricity needs and to store water in Nagarjunasagar dam for providing drinking water and irrigation in both states, has been drawn by the Telangana State.
The KRMB ought to give the first priority to supply water to Nagarjunasagar for drinking and irrigation needs, said Harish Rao. Instead, up to the full reservoir level of 885 ft at Srisailam, the water storage was allowed. This led to denial of irrigation in the Nagarjuna Dam command area for the kharif and late kharif seasons.
He told Mr. Gadkari that before allowing storage of water at Srisailam above 854 ft level, instructions were required to be given to KRMB to protect the area irrigated by Nagarjunasagar. He pointed out that in the last two years, for the needs of outside Krishna Basin area, AP had drawn more than 60 tmc ft of water through Pothireddypadu.
He said that in compliance with KRMB instructions, AP is drawing water through Pothireddypadu, even though the TS had stopped drawal of water through the power house.
SUPRAJA
