Uncertainty over Naidu-Revanth meet as Telangana objects to Banakacherla in agenda
In a letter addressed to MoJS Secretary Debashree Mukherjee in response to the meeting notice, Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao mentioned that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Minister for Irrigation N. Uttam Kumar Reddy had repeatedly communicated Telangana's objections to the project proposed by A.P.
They had been clearly stating that the A.P.'s proposal violates the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal (GWDT) Award as also the A.P. Reorganisation Act. It also lacks statutory clearances from the Central Water Commission, Godavari and Krishna River Management Boards and the Apex Council. The pre-feasibility report submitted by A.P. contains critical data gaps and methodological deficiencies, particularly on water availability assumptions and technical feasibility, the Chief Secretary said in his letter.
Further, the expert appraisal committee of the Ministry of Environment and Forest had returned the project proposal citing violations of legal and procedural aspects and the GRMB had observed that diversion of 200 tmc ft water from Polavaram for the proposed project would change scope as well as operation schedule of the Polavaram project, which already has unresolved submergence issues in Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Telangana.
Stating that the AP's proposal would undermine the rights of Telangana in Godavari water, he urged the MoJS Secretary to direct CWC to reject the pre-feasibility report of Banalacherla project, prevent A.P. from submitting detailed project report, stop finalising tenders and not to discuss/approve at any forum/by any agency.
He also cited the objections raised by the Polavaram Project Authority, GRMB, CWC and EAC of MoEF on A.P.'s proposal. The Chief Secretary, however, welcomed the initiative of the MoJS to convene a meeting to sort out the other outstanding issues, provided the meeting agenda is revised by including the issues raised by Telangana in another letter such as clearance to Godavari Basin projects based on assured water and issues in the Krishna Basin — clearances to the projects proposed in Telangana by the erstwhile A.P.
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The Wire
3 days ago
- The Wire
Meeting of Andhra, Telangana CMs Ends in Stalemate as Key Issue in River Basin Linking Project Sidelined
Government Convened by Union Jal Shakti minister C.R. Patil in Delhi, the meeting was a sequel to Telangana CM A. Revanth Reddy's complaint over the proposal of Andhra Pradesh constructing the Godavari-Banakacherla project. Hyderabad: A meeting of the chief ministers of the sister states Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, N. Chandrababu Naidu and A. Revanth Reddy, respectively, was convened by Union Jal Shakti minister C.R. Patil in New Delhi on Wednesday (July 16), amidst high hopes of addressing a ticklish river basin linking project between the states. However, it ended in a whimper as a discussion on the issue was sidelined. Instead, it was decided to leave it to a committee of engineers and officials to study pending proposals for projects in both states and suggest a way forward in 30 days. The Jal Shakti ministry will constitute the committee with representatives from both states. Wednesday's meeting was a sequel to Reddy's complaint to C.R. Patil when he met him in Delhi on June 19 over the proposal of Andhra Pradesh constructing Godavari-Banakacherla project – which was given national status by Union government – to link the waters of Godavari river from Polavaram to Penna river basin via Krishna basin for irrigating the chronic drought hit Rayalaseema region of the state. Reddy had complained that Telangana would lose considerable share of water in Godavari if the project was sanctioned. He had also expressed anguish that projects of Andhra Pradesh were getting immediate approval while proposals of Telangana were overlooked. He blamed it on the close rapport enjoyed by Chandrababu Naidu with the Union government as a key partner of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance. So, the Union minister promised to invite both the chief ministers to sort out the issue. A day earlier, Revanth Reddy convened an all party meeting in Hyderabad where there was broad consensus authorising the state government to take all steps to stall the Godavari-Banakacherla project. After the meeting was scheduled at the instance of Patil today, the Andhra Pradesh government had written to the ministry to include discussion on the controversial project as the sole item on the agenda. This was protested by Telangana arguing that there could be no discussion as it lacked the statutory clearances from the Central Water Commission, Godavari River Management Board (GRMB), Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) and the Apex Council constituted under the reorganisation Act. Moreover, the expert appraisal committee of the Ministry of Environment and Forest had rejected the pre-feasibility report of the project. The project also violated the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal Award of 1980 and the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act of 2014 by proposing to alter water allocations and project operations with the consent of co-basin states. A letter written by Telangana chief secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao to the ministry noted that the proposal for diversion of 200 thousand million cubic (TMC) feet of "flood water" from Polavaram was unilateral and fundamentally altered the operation schedule of Polavaram project and impacted the water rights of Telangana. Earlier, the Telangana irrigation minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy shot off another letter to Patil over the injustice to Telangana by keeping in pendency irrigation projects of the state on Krishna and Godavari rivers. On the other hand, the Andhra Pradesh government was allowed to proceed with a lift-irrigation project for Rayalaseema from the bed of Srisailam reservoir despite a stay given by the National Green Tribunal. He demanded a reservoir on the lines of Polavaram for Telangana at Itchampally with a capacity of 200 TMC ft. The proposal of Andhra Pradesh for Godavari-Banakacherla project received not only political backlash but also stormy debates in civil society of Telangana. It was argued that Andhra Pradesh made a false claim to utilise flood waters which was a fictitious name given for non-existing water availability. What Andhra Pradesh was trying to project was average water over a 40-year timescale. Former advisor to Jal Shakti ministry Sriram Vedire gave a presentation saying the annual runoff of Godavari at Polavaram as per the gauze station of central water commission (CWC) for 57 years from 1966-67 to 2022-23 was about 3,000 TMC ft. The average flow of 3,000 TMC ft into the sea included the unutilised assured waters at 75% dependability allocated to the upstream states of Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Telangana. It also included spills from projects of upstream states. The 75% dependability referred to water available for three out of four years for planned utilisation of a project and its success in irrigating the command area for three out of four years. Sriram said that the CWC, in its reports of 2018 and 2023, denied availability of surplus water in Godavari at 75% dependability. The runoff water of 3,000 TMC ft into the sea was frequently highlighted by former chief minister and Bharat Rashtra Samiti supremo K. Chandrasekhar Rao while stressing the need for more projects on Godavari in both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. This was the butt of criticism by Revanth Reddy saying Rao mortgaged the interests of Telangana with Andhra Pradesh when Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy was its CM. The Congress and BRS traded charges against each other over conception of Godavari-Banakacherla project in the context of Rao's demand to exploit the 3,000 TMC ft for mutual benefit of both states. In the background of raging controversy over the project, Wednesday's meeting of Naidu and Revanth Reddy in the presence of Patil assumed significance. But, the meeting skipped any discussion on the project, Reddy said at a press conference later. He said what was decided was the installation of telemetry stations from all water offtake points in Krishna river to quell doubts of both governments about over usage of water by each other. He said that the Andhra Pradesh government will undertake repairs and restoration of Srisailam dam on Krishna which is under its administrative control. The need for repairs to the dam was also stressed by the National Dam Safety Authority. Reddy added that it was also decided to locate the office of GRMB in Telangana and that of KRMB in Andhra Pradesh. Finally, the committee of engineers and officials will identify the river water issues of both States and suggest a way forward in 30 days. 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Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Centre to form panel to resolve Andhra-Telangana water issues
The Union government on Wednesday decided to constitute a high-level expert committee comprising officials and technical experts within a week to resolve pending inter-state water issues related to Krishna and Godavari river projects between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Centre to form panel to resolve Andhra-Telangana water issues The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Union Jal Shakti minister CR Patil with Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy and his Andhra Pradesh counterpart N Chandrababu Naidu, along with irrigation ministers of both states at Shram Shakti Bhavan in New Delhi. 'To address the remaining issues in a comprehensive and technical manner, it was decided to constitute a committee,' the Jal Shakti ministry said in a statement, adding the committee will collaboratively assess outstanding issues and recommend equitable and technically viable solutions. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Revanth Reddy said both states decided to form a committee of officials and engineers to deliberate on water disputes. 'The committee's report will guide future action,' the Telangana CM said. While Andhra Pradesh irrigation minister Nimmala Ramanaidu said his government had submitted a written proposal to the Centre on the controversial Polavaram Banakacherla Link Project (PBLP), the Telangana CM said the issue did not come up for discussion at all. 'The Polavaram-Banakacherla project issue wasn't part of the agenda. So, the question of having a discussion on the issue and debating its cancellation did not arise,' the Congress leader said. 'The meeting went on in a cordial manner and the outcome was in favour of Telangana… Some people want conflicts between the states. But our agenda is to resolve disputes peacefully, not to provoke fights.' The meeting also saw agreement on installing telemetry instruments at all off-take points along the Krishna river and its canals to measure the exact quantity of water being drawn by both the states. 'We requested the Centre to support telemetry installation due to doubts about Krishna water usage. Even if the Centre does not fund it, the Telangana government will allocate funds. The previous government showed no urgency, but we've now decided to move forward,' Telangana irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy said. Both states also agreed that the Godavari River Management Board will be headquartered in Telangana, while the Krishna River Management Board will be based in Andhra Pradesh, he said. His Andhra Pradesh counterpart Ramanaidu said: 'This committee will draft a roadmap to provide justice to both states. Though governed by different parties, we are Telugu people and must work together.' He added that Andhra Pradesh had agreed to take steps for the protection of Srisailam project. 'The meeting discussed the need to take up repairs and safety measures. The Centre will act based on the expert committee's recommendations,' Ramanaidu added. The TDP leader said that Andhra Pradesh had submitted its proposal on the Polavaram-Banakacherla project which would utilise only surplus water flowing into the sea. 'We presented 100-year flow averages in the river, noting that 3,000 TMC of Godavari water enters the sea annually, and the project would divert only 200 TMC,' he added. The NDA-led Andhra Pradesh government said the project would not harm upper riparian states and urged Telangana and the Centre to understand its position being a lower riparian state. It also emphasised that the state had not opposed any Telangana project in the last 11 years.
The Hindu
4 days ago
- The Hindu
A.P. and Telangana resolve key river water issues in New Delhi meeting
In a significant breakthrough, the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana reached a mutual understanding on the Krishna and Godavari water issues during a high-level meeting chaired by Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil in New Delhi on Wednesday. The outcome was hailed as constructive and cordial by Andhra Pradesh Water Resources Minister Nimmala Ramanaidu in a press conference after the meeting. Mr. Ramanaidu said the meeting, attended by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and his Telangana counterpart A. Revanth Reddy, the Water Ministers, irrigation officials, engineers from both States and Central Water Commission (CWC) representatives, yielded decisions on three major issues. Both States agreed to install telemeters on the outflows from reservoirs into canals to ensure transparency and data sharing. A consensus was reached to preserve the Srisailam project, a symbol of Telugu heritage. Both States agreed to implement CWC recommendations and expert suggestions promptly concerning repairs and plunge pool protection. It was decided that the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) would be headquartered in Amaravati, while the Godavari River Management Board (GRMB) would remain in Hyderabad, settling a long-pending issue. Joint panel on Banakacherla project Mr. Ramanaidu said that the Polavaram-Banakacherla project concerns raised by Telangana over A.P.'s proposal would be addressed positively. Given the technical complexity, both States agreed to form a joint committee comprising administrative and technical experts under the CWC's supervision. The committee is expected to be constituted by Monday. The committee will also assess the annual 3000 tmc ft of the Godavari water flowing into the sea and explore options for its optimal utilisation. Mr. Ramanaidu praised the cooperative spirit of the meeting, calling it a 'positive milestone' that reinforces Telugu unity despite administrative and political differences.
