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Time of India
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Krishna Water Management Board in a fix as Telangana opposes water release from Nagarjuna Sagar to Andhra Pradesh
1 2 Vijayawada: The Krishna Water Management Board (KRMB) is in a fix with AP and Telangana taking opposite sides with regard to water releases from the Nagarjuna Sagar project. Andhra Pradesh sent an SoS to KRMB seeking release of 10 tmc ft of water from the Nagarjuna Sagar project to meet drinking water needs in Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam and Palnadu districts. The AP govt explained that almost all the drinking water tanks in upland areas of several districts under the Nagarjuna Sagar project were dried up and release of water is the only way to meet the drinking water needs. After sending a formal request, AP govt advisor (water resources) M Venkateswar Rao called KRMB chairman Atul Jain over phone and explained the situation. He requested the KRMB chairman to take a favourable decision at the earliest in view of the emergency. Sources said that the KRMB chairman suggested the govt advisor to send a detailed proposal as to how many tanks were located along the canal and their capacities. Although KRMB looked positive on the issue, opposition from Telangana is believed to have delayed the release. Sources said that the Telangana govt informed the KRMB chairman that any fresh release from Nagarjuna Sagar project will dip levels below the Dead Storage Level (DSL), which would force it to depend on lift irrigation to pump water for Hyderabad's drinking water needs. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Мъжки сандали, създадени за комфорт и издръжливост. ZAROTRAVEL® КУПИ СЕГА Undo Telangana demanded that AP should bear the electricity charges of its lift irrigation scheme in case KRMB wanted to release water to AP. However, AP turned down the proposal saying it was seeking water from its rightful share and there is no question of payment of electricity charges towards usage of lift irrigation scheme.
Hans India
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Uttam taps CWC for allotment of water to PRIL, Sammakka projects
Hyderabad: In a determined push to resolve Telangana's pressing irrigation and water allocation concerns, State Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy met Central Water Commission (CWC) Chairman Atul Jain in New Delhi on Wednesday. The meeting focused on expediting water allocations for two major projects — the Palamuru-RangaReddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS) and the Sammakka-Sarakka Barrage, while also raising critical issues related to inter-State water management, infrastructure safety, and backwater impact from the Polavaram project. The Minister requested a total water allocation of 90 tmcft for PRLIS, with an immediate sanction of 45 tmcft in the first phase, citing that Telangana had already complied with all procedural and documentation requirements laid down by the CWC. Similarly, the Sammakka-Sarakka Barrage, located at Thupakulagudem in Mulugu district, is designed to stabilise irrigation for nearly 5.55 lakh hectares under the JChokka Rao Devadula Lift Irrigation Scheme and the Sriram Sagar Project (stages I and II). With a total capacity of 6.94 tmcft, the barrage will also cater to drinking water needs of several villages along its route. Uttam urged the CWC to expedite the allocation of 44 tmcft for the Sammakka-Sarakka project, noting that all necessary maps and documentation had been submitted. He underlined the importance of early approval to ensure that agrarian communities dependent on these projects are not left vulnerable to recurring droughts. In addition to these project-specific matters, the Minister expressed serious concerns over the illegal diversion of Krishna River water by Andhra Pradesh. He called on the CWC to immediately install telemetry instruments at critical points along the river to monitor water flows and prevent unauthorised withdrawals. He pointed out that Telangana had already released its financial share for the installation of these instruments to the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB). Highlighting another major concern, Uttam Kumar Reddy drew attention to the potential backwater threat from the Polavaram Project. He urged the CWC to undertake a fresh assessment of backwater impacts on Telangana's border villages and recommend necessary safeguards to prevent flooding and displacement.
The Hindu
07-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Uttam urges CWC to expedite water allocation for PRLIS, Sammakka-Sarakka projects
Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy met Central Water Commission (CWC) Chairman Atul Jain in New Delhi on Wednesday with the focus of discussions on water allocations for the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS) and the Sammakka-Sarakka Barrage. The meeting also saw discussions on critical issues related to inter-State water management, infrastructure safety, and backwater impact from the Polavaram project. During the meeting, Mr. Uttam requested a total water allocation of 90 tmcft for PRLIS, with an immediate sanction of 45 tmcft in the first phase, citing that Telangana had already complied with all procedural and documentation requirements laid down by the CWC. He also urged the CWC to expedite the allocation of 44 tmcft for the Sammakka-Sarakka project, noting that all necessary maps and documentation had been submitted. He underlined the importance of early approval to ensure that agrarian communities dependent on these projects are not left vulnerable to recurring droughts. In addition to these project-specific matters, the Minister expressed serious concerns over the illegal diversion of Krishna River water by Andhra Pradesh. He called on the CWC to immediately install telemetry instruments at critical points along the river to monitor water flows and prevent unauthorised withdrawals. He pointed out that Telangana had already released its financial share for the installation of these instruments to the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB). The CWC Chairman, Atul Jain, is also currently holding additional charge as Chairman of the KRMB and the Polavaram Project Authority, which makes his role pivotal in ensuring compliance, coordination, and transparency in inter-State water sharing and monitoring. Mr. Uttam Kumar Reddy drew the attention of the CWC Chairman to the recent report by the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) on the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS), which raised serious concerns about the structural and design integrity of the entire project — not just the Medigadda barrage, but also the Annaram and Sundilla barrages. He pointed out that the NDSA, after its technical inspection, had recommended that the Telangana government seek the technical advice and oversight of the CWC to evaluate the safety of KLIS infrastructure and determine the way forward. Citing the report, he said there were multiple structural deficiencies, including sand piping, foundation instability, and poor quality control, which led to irreversible damage in some components of the project. Acting on this recommendation, Mr. Uttam Kumar Reddy requested the CWC to engage with the State government in conducting a comprehensive geotechnical and structural review and to advise on corrective measures to restore and safeguard the project.
