KRMB balks at action on Telangana plaint

Hyderabad: The Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) on Friday ended the meeting without taking any action on the complaint lodged by the Telangana State government against the Andhra Pradesh over illegal release of water from Srisailam reservoir.

The State government had complained to the KRMB against the release of water from Srisailam reservoir to Pothireddypadu head regulator and Muchumarri lift irrigation project without approval by the Board.

KRMB Secretary Sameer Chatterjee informed the Engineer-in-Chief C Muralidhar that the issue would be taken up at the five-member committee meeting to be held in October second week. He also made it clear that the board wrote a letter to the Union Ministry of Water Resources, requesting it to accord powers to the KRMB to take stringent action against the governments for violating the standard procedures in the utilisation of Krishna water.

On the request of the two governments, the Board allocated 16 tmcft of water to Andhra Pradesh and 6 tmcft of water to Telangana State for drinking water needs for the next 45 days. The AP government was permitted to draw five tmcft of water each from Handri Neeva Sujala Sravanthi and Pothireddypadu and 6 tmcft from Nagarjuna Sagar right bank canal.

While the Telangana State would utilise four tmcft of water from Kalwakruthi to meet drinking water needs in Mahbubnagar and Nagarkunrool districts. One tmcft of water each would be drawn to meet drinking water needs of Hyderabad and fluoride-hit Nalgonda districts.