Harish for linking Koyna Dam to Krishna river

​Hyderabad: Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao urged the Indian Water Council (IWC) to recommend the Government of India to link Koyna Dam water backwards to Krishna River. The Minister stated that more than 100 TMC of water from Koyna Dam in Maharashtra was going waste into sea after Hydel power generation.

Harish Rao was addressing the ‘National Convention on Rejuvenation of Krishna River’ organised by Telangana Water Resources Development Corporation (TWRDC) here at Vishweshwaraya Bhavan on Tuesday. Rao said that Koyna dam was constructed for Hydro power generation on Krishna River in Maharashtra.

“After power generation more than 100 TMC of water is flowing into Arabian Sea. The Krishna water is flowing outside the basin whereas basin areas are starving for irrigation and drinking water. The Convention can discuss this aspect and suggest ways and means to divert Koyna Dam waters back to Krishna River,” Harish Rao said.

The Minister said that upper Krishna Sates may release environmental flows from their dams to protect flora, fauna and aquatic life of river which will also help in rejuvenation of Krishna River. By diverting the water to Krishna basin, five times more electricity can be produced, he added.

Stating that River Krishna was the fourth biggest in the country and which was fast drying up, the Minister said his government would extend full support for the programme taken up by IWC under the leadership of Rajender Singh. The Minister explained about the flagship programme of the State government Mission Kakatiya and stated that so far 18,000 tanks were restored in the State with Rs 3,000 crore during the last three years and an ayacut of 10 lakh acres were brought back into irrigation under minor irrigation sector. In Krishna basin about 6,000 tanks were restored with an amount of about Rs 950 crores in the last four years. Now fourth stage of Mission Kakatiya programme is being continued, he added. Ground water levels increased by 10 m in the State due to the increased storage capacity and retention of water in the tanks for longer periods, he added.

He further said that by the construction of Kaleshwaram project, Godavari River would get a new life and out of 500 km stretch of river in Telangana, 275 km of Godavari River would be rejuvenated. Government had also formed Musi River Front Development Corporation and Manair River on Godavari basin.

The Minister said that the government had completed four ongoing projects in Mahbubnagar district and brought 6.5 lakh acres into irrigation and filled 700 tanks in the district. “We have seen a tremendous change in the villages and reverse migration is taking place,” said the Minister. He also talked about Mission Bhagiratha project which aims to provide water security to each citizen of the State.

Waterman of India Rajendra Singh said, “what Harish Rao had said today, I have been saying for a long time.” Singh said that rejuvenation of rivers was the most needed thing in the 21st Century. He echoed the statements of the Irrigation Minister on Koyna Dam and stated that if the water brought to Krishna River is nothing but recycling of the water it would help in increasing ecological flow.

Rajendra Singh said that Indian judiciary cannot solve the confrontation on water because the administrators and politics create conflicts. Solution can be achieved if efforts are put in beyond the boundaries, he added. He stressed on the need to have various groups including educational institutions, civil society and people who are striving to save saving rivers work together. He also stressed on the need for river literacy and said that unless there is no knowledge about river science there cannot be a talk on river rights.

Health Minister C Laxma Reddy, TWRDC Chairman V Prakash, experts in water conservation Vikram Soni, World Water Council Governor Prithvi Raj Singh and others also spoke at the convention.