Final arguments in the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II (KWDT-II) resumed on Monday, with Telangana presenting its case for a fair division of the Krishna River water.
Hyderabad:Final arguments in the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II (KWDT-II) resumed on Monday, with Telangana presenting its case for a fair division of the Krishna River water. The proceedings by tribunal Chairman Justice Brijesh Kumar and members Justice Ram Mohan Reddy and Justice S. Talapatra will continue till March 26.
Senior counsel representing Telangana explained that since there was no formal division of Krishna water between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the tribunal must decide on a fresh allocation. He pointed out that the earlier internal arrangements made by the undivided AP government were in favour of the Andhra region and should not be continued. Telangana insisted that water should be allocated based on national and international principles of equitable distribution, rather than past administrative decisions.
Telangana noted that its per capita water availability was 422 cubic metres per year, much lower than AP and the national average. The state pointed out that AP, with 40 river basins had substantial water resources, whereas Telangana depended heavily on the Krishna River, especially for drought-prone areas.
A major concern raised was Andhra Pradesh’s diversion of 330 tmc ft of Krishna water to the Penna basin, which already has 344 tmc ft of water available. Telangana also questioned AP’s Godavari water diversion project, where crores have been spent on creating 150 tmc ft storage at Bollapalli. Telangana stressed that Krishna water should first meet local irrigation needs before being diverted elsewhere.
Telangana counsel also stated that AP was not seeking water for inside basin allocation it was meant for areas outside the Krishna basin. Telangana was asking water for inside-basin projects.
The tribunal had made some queries regarding Telangana’s population calculations for Krishna basin districts, which the state’s legal team provided along with supporting documents and maps.
The hearing was attended by senior advocate C.S. Vaidyanathan, advocates and engineers from Telangana’s interstate water resources (ISWR) unit. Senior advocate Jayadeep Gupta, advocates and ISWR engineers represented AP.
