Hyderabad: Telangana irrigation officials staged a protest at the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) against the Andhra Pradesh government. They were upset because Andhra Pradesh skipped an important meeting called by the Board. The meeting was meant to finalize water allocation for drinking and irrigation needs in both states during the summer. Due to pressure from Telangana, the Board decided to hold another meeting with both states on Monday.
Telangana’s Irrigation Secretary Rahul Bojja and Engineer-in-Chief Anil Kumar expressed their disappointment over Andhra Pradesh’s absence. They told the Board that Andhra Pradesh has been drawing more water than allowed, despite repeated warnings. However, no action has been taken against them so far.
The Telangana officials demanded that Andhra Pradesh immediately stop taking water from the common reservoirs at Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar. They pointed out that Andhra Pradesh had already used more than its fair share of water, according to KRMB records. Because of this, they argued that Andhra Pradesh should not be allowed to take any more water from the reservoirs.
To address Telangana’s water needs, the officials submitted a request for water allocation until May. They asked for a total of 107 tmcft of water—90 tmcft for irrigation and 17 tmcft for drinking water. They also urged the Board chairman to release an official order for this allocation.
Earlier, a group of Telangana irrigation officials met with Central Water Commission (CWC) Chairman Mukesh Kumar Sinha. They informed him about the ongoing water crisis in Telangana.
The officials also explained to the CWC that Andhra Pradesh has been avoiding meetings meant to resolve water-sharing issues. They expressed concern that Andhra Pradesh’s actions are making it difficult to manage water resources fairly, especially during the summer season.
