Tribunal’s key decision on Krishna water sharing today

​Hyderabad: Brijesh Kumar Tribunal is set to deliver a crucial judgment on the reallocation of Krishna water between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday. Under Section 89 of the AP Reorganisation Act, the Telangana government has been arguing strongly before the tribunal for the reallocation of assured waters between the upper and lower riparian States in the Krishna basin.

Telangana irrigation officials said legal luminaries and irrigation experts, including State Advisor (Irrigation) Vidyasagar Rao, have already left for New Delhi to put the State arguments effectively before the tribunal. After the bifurcation of the State, the TS government strongly objected to the allocation of 512 tmcft of water to Andhra Pradesh and its utilisation in the non-Krishna basin.

State Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao said many districts which come under Krishna basin were deprived of water due to excess allocation to the neighbouring State in the last 60 years. Andhra Pradesh was also given freedom to utilise 150.5 tmcft of surplus water leaving many areas in Telangana in the drought.

As the two upper riparian States - Maharashtra and Karnataka have already clarified that they would not take part in the arguments before Tribunal, Telangana has prepared a detailed report on the utilisation and allocation of water and would submit the same to the tribunal with evidences.