Hyderabad: The Telangana state government has stepped up its demand for additional share of water from the river Krishna.The Brijesh Kumar Tribunal on Krishna water sharing commenced hearing on Wednesday on the issue. The hearing will go on for three days.
In its argument, the government has sought 936 tmc water to meet domestic, agricultural and industrial needs. This is an over three-fold increase when compared to its existing allocation of 299 tmc.
The state government submitted an affidavit before the tribunal stating that it wanted to bring an additional 9.34 lakh hectares under irrigation by completing pending projects and constructing new projects on the Krishna, for which it needs more water allocation.
The fresh argument by the state government on Krishna water sharing is being strongly opposed by the Andhra Pradesh government.
The government argued that out of 936 tmc which was being sought, 206 tmc would be required to meet the future demand on account of construction of new projects on the Krishna.
It brought to the notice of the tribunal that it had drafted an action plan to irrigate an additional 9,34,028 hectares (23,37,570 acres) for which 936 tmc was required.
For the Jurala project alone, the state government had sought 100 tmc to irrigate an additional 4.57 lakh hectares.
It also urged the tribunal to view it's share as only 771 tmc on the ground that 80 per cent of water used for domestic and industrial purposes would flow back to the Krishna
basin in some form or the other. The government pointed out that there was 36.45 lakh hectares of cultivable land available in the Krishna basin, but the state government could irrigate only 5.75 lakh hectares with the current allocation of 299 tmc in the Krishna.
The government informed the tribunal that if the pending Srisailam Left Bank Canal, Kalwakurthy, Nettempad, Palamur-Rangareddy lift irrigation projects were completed and 220 tmc was utilised, then an additional 10.38 lakh hectares could be irrigated.
