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AP steals water; Telangana farmers to be hit
In a ‘breach of trust,’ Andhra Pradesh State government has drawn water from Pulichintala Project even when the water levels were below minimum drawdown level (MDDL) forcing the Telangana State government to put on hold generation of hydel power and thus depriving farmers of water for irrigation.
Hyderabad: In a ‘breach of trust,’ Andhra Pradesh State government has drawn water from Pulichintala Project even when the water levels were below minimum drawdown level (MDDL) forcing the Telangana State government to put on hold generation of hydel power and thus depriving farmers of water for irrigation.
The neighbouring State drew 4.5 tmcft of water without seeking the permission from KRMB (Krishna River Water Management Board) as mandated in the AP Reorganisation Act. As a result, the MDDL in the project has gone down below 140 feet. The FRL level of the project is 175 feet. Top officials of the Telangana State Irrigation Department told The Hans India that AP drew 2 tmcft of water in July and 2.5 tmcft in August even though the water levels in the reservoir was below MDDL and it did so without any prior intimation to the KRMB and Telangana State government.
Since the inflows in the 45.77 tmcft capacity Pulichintala project recorded zero due to no outflows from Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar reservoirs, officials said the water level in the project reached dead level. The deficit rainfall at the catchment areas and the upper riparian Karnataka State government’s reluctance to release water to Telangana State.
The Telangana State government is planning to commission the hydel generation in September this year as the water levels maintained in the reservoir till June-end are enough to generate power with good inflows in the last week of August. Unless the reservoir is filled with water above the MDDL, the prospects of power generation is bleak.
Farmers, who have taken up paddy cultivation in a big way under project site, are also facing serious problems. Nearly 30,000 acres is being irrigated under eight lift schemes at Pulichintala in Nalgonda district.
Officials said the Telangana State Chief Secretary S K Joshi had already brought to the notice of the KRMB the exploitation of water reservoirs by AP government. Sources said the government would also lodge a complaint with Union Ministry of Water Resources on this particular issue.
The State government which had already lodged a serious complaint before the Centre against AP for taking up nearly 10 irrigation schemes ‘illegally’ on river Godavari and Krishna without seeking permission from upper riparian states and the concerned Central authorities has decided to register its strong protest with the KRMB on this issue as well.
