Issue of Krishna water sharing remains deadlocked

HYDERABAD: The meeting convened by the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) to finalise sharing of water reserves between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh remained deadlocked as irrigation officials from Andhra Pradesh did not turn up. As a result, the three-member committee adjourned  the meeting with the next one likely to be held in the first week of next month.

The water levels in Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar projects on Krishna are coming down even before the onset of summer due to generation of hydel power by both states thereby raising fears of inadequate water for irrigation and drinking purposes this summer.

Telangana has complained that AP has already utilised more than its quota and urged KRMB to restrain AP from utilising more.

Telangana engineer-in-chief C. Muralidhar submitted his arguments before the three-member committee. He urged KRMB to calculate the consumption of Krishna water by the two states in the current water year to determine their actual usage. This would enable them to know how much water was actually consumed by each state and how much was left to be consumed, he said.

He brought to the notice of KRMB that AP exceeded its quota whereas Telangana could still utilise 141 TMC.

While Telangana has been demanding sharing of Krishna water in the ratio of 50:50, Andhra Pradesh is demanding that its share be increased to 70 per cent.