Hyderabad: Telangana has urged the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) to restrain Andhra Pradesh from taking up unauthorised irrigation projects or enhancing existing ones without mandatory approvals from the KRMB, Central Water Commission (CWC) and the Apex Council.Telangana also asked the KRMB to prevent AP from making what it termed misleading allegations against Telangana’s irrigation projects, which are intended to serve drought-prone and backward riparian areas. The state maintained that these issues had already been deliberated before the board, the Apex Council and the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal (KWDT)-II. In a recent letter to the KRMB, Telangana engineer-in-chief OV Ramesh Babu stated that the board should stop the AP govt from drawing water without due appraisal, recommendation and approval, as mandated under the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, until the Krishna tribunal finalises the water shares. The Telangana govt alleged that AP enhanced the drawal capacity of the Pothireddypadu head regulator, increased the carrying capacity of the Srisailam right main canal, upgraded the Banakacherla cross regulator and expanded the associated canal system conveying water to the Pennar basin. ‘NGT orders violated’It further pointed out that despite orders from the National Green Tribunal, AP was proceeding with the Rayalaseema lift irrigation scheme (RLIS), and that the KRMB had not taken appropriate action. “Telangana govt wrote multiple letters to KRMB and ministry of jal shakti on RLIS. But no effective intervention either by KRMB and jal shakti ministry was taken,” the engineer-in-chief said. The state also contended that AP had already expanded the scope of projects such as Handri Neeva, Galeru Nagari, Telugu Ganga, Veligonda and Srisailam right branch canal to utilise about 114 tmcft. Additionally, it alleged that the neighbouring state had projected further demands of around 176 tmcft under future contemplated projects, diverting water outside the basin.Telangana said the KRMB must bring these alleged violations by AP to the notice of the Centre and ensure compliance with statutory norms governing irrigation projects on Krishna river. Silt a major problem: UttamMeanwhile, state irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy called for the immediate rollout of phase-II desiltation across major irrigation projects to restore lost storage capacity and secure water for farmers facing persistent sedimentation. At a review meeting with officials and farmers from SRSP stage-II ayacut districts, he termed sedimentation a ‘major nationwide problem’. He noted Sriramsagar Project’s capacity had fallen from about 120 tmc to nearly 80 tmc due to decades of silt buildup.He said proposals for large-scale desiltation would be placed before the state cabinet and that he would raise tail-end irrigation concerns with chief minister A Revanth Reddy. Referring to phase-I works at Kaddam using modern dredging, he said sand disposal remains a challenge. “We must press ahead with scaled-up desiltation across major projects to restore gross storage capacities and ensure equitable water distribution,” he said.
