Latest news with #KWDT-I
New Indian Express
25-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Telangana seeks reallocation of Tungabhadra water
HYDERABAD: The final arguments before the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal continued on the second day on Thursday, which mainly focused on Andhra Pradesh's Tungabhadra Right Bank Low Level Canal (TBRBLLC) which starts from Tungabadhra dam. Telangana counsel said that the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal (KWDT-I) has put restriction on utilisation of 29.50 tmcft on TBRBLLC out of which evaporation loss is 5.50 tmcft. KWDT-I imposed restrictions on utilisation of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh at Tungabhadra dam or Tungabhadra sub basin to ensure substantial contribution of flows from western ghats to Krishna river downstream i.e, to Srisailam reservoir. Telangana stated that the overlapping of Rajolibhanda Diversion Scheme (RDS) Right Canal and Guru Raghavendra LIS with TBPRBLLC, emphasising the existence of multiple sources for the same ayacut of TBPRBLLC. The additional utilisation by Guru Raghavendra Lift Irrigation Schemes will allow Andhra Pradesh to utilise more Tungabhadra water, impacting the inflows to Srisailam, thereby depriving utilisations of Telangana projects. Telangana requested that the Guru Raghavendra Lift Irrigation Schemes shall not be allowed any water drawals from Tungabhadra river. The final arguments of Telangana will continue on Friday.
The Hindu
24-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
A.P. overdrawing Tungabhadra water, TG tells tribunal
Telangana has submitted to the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal (KWDT-II) that Andhra Pradesh is overdrawing Tungabhadra river water affecting its contribution to Krishna river for supplementation of flows to Srisailam reservoir in the downstream and by doing so, it is depriving TG of its water. On the second day of final arguments before the Tribunal in the reference made for re-distribution of water among AP and Telangana from out of the allocation of 811 tmc ft, assured to combined AP, senior counsel appearing for Telangana C.S. Vaidyanathan explained to the Tribunal in New Delhi on Thursday, that KWDT-I had put restriction on utilisation by AP from Tungabhadra Right Bank Low Level Canal (LLC), which takes off at TB dam, at 29.5 tmc ft, including 5.5 tmc ft of evaporation losses. Further, he brought to the Tribunal's notice that KWDT-I had also imposed restrictions on utilisation by AP and Karnataka at TB dam and TB sub-basin to ensure that substantial water supplements Krishna river in the downstream. However, AP was over-tapping water from Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme (RDS) Right Canal and Guru Raghavendra Lift Irrigation Scheme. The existence of multiple sources for the same ayacut of LLC was allowing AP to draw higher volume of water for the ayacut, while the realistic crop water requirement on a scientific basis was only 17.41 tmc ft, thus leaving a saving of 6.59 tmc ft (29.5-5.5-17.41 = 6.59). The counsel requested the Tribunal to allocate the savings of 6.59 tmc ft water to the in-basin projects in Telangana.
New Indian Express
24-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Andhra drawing excess water through KC Canal: Telangana
HYDERABAD: Arguments before the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal resumed on Wednesday, with a primary focus on the KC (Kurnool-Cuddapah) Canal issue concerning Andhra Pradesh. Telangana's counsel argued that the KC Canal was originally developed in 1860 with the consent of the erstwhile Hyderabad state, under the condition that no objections would be raised in the future if Hyderabad chose to divert water. The counsel also cited a 1944 agreement between the erstwhile Hyderabad and Madras governments, which stipulated equal utilisation of water through the KC Canal (Madras, now Andhra Pradesh) and the Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme (RDS) of Hyderabad. As per the agreement, the KC Canal was to utilise 10 tmcft of water, while RDS would use 17.1 tmcft -- of which 15.9 tmcft was for Telangana and 1.2 tmcft for Karnataka. These figures were also presented by the Central Water and Power Commission during the Inter-State Conference in 1951. However, the Telangana counsel contended that Andhra Pradesh had disregarded this agreement and increased the KC Canal's utilisation to 39.9 tmcft, subsequently obtaining this allocation from the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-I (KWDT-I). He further stated that the actual average utilisation by Andhra Pradesh stands at 54 tmcft, significantly exceeding the allocation. The Telangana counsel also highlighted that AP had failed to disclose the contribution of tributaries like Nippulavagu, Galeru, and Kundu -- amounting to 5.2 tmcft -- to the KC Canal's command area during proceedings before the KWDT-I. When the tribunal inquired about the quantum of water being diverted through the escape channel, Telangana's counsel pointed out that AP was objecting to the installation of telemetry systems at the Banakacherla complex, where the escape channel regulator is located. He argued that unless telemetry is installed at all regulators within the complex, it would be impossible to accurately account for water releases to the KC Canal, Srisailam Right Bank Canal (SRBC), and Telugu Ganga Project (TGP). According to Telangana's assessment, the total water availability to the KC Canal is 45.1 tmcft (39.9 tmcft allocation + 5.2 tmcft from tributaries), while the scientifically assessed crop water requirement for the KC Canal command area is only 18.51 tmcft. Telangana argued that the surplus of 26.59 tmcft should be reallocated to in-basin projects within Telangana.
The Hindu
11-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Siddaramaiah writes to Maharashtra Chief Minister defending decision to increase Almatti dam height
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis defending Karnataka's decision to increase the height of the Lal Bahadur Shastri reservoir on the Krishna at Almatti. He has argued that Karnataka has the right to increase the dam height even without waiting for the Union government to publish the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal award. This is in response to Mr. Fadnavis' letter on May 9 that objected to Karnataka planning to increase the dam height. The Maharashtra government had urged Karnataka to 'reconsider the plan to increase the height of Almatti dam from the present level of 519.6 metres to full reservoir level (FRL) of 524.256 metres to protect the safety of people from floods in Kolhapur and Sangli districts in Maharashtra.' Unfounded fears In the letter, Mr. Siddaramaiah said that Maharashtra's fears of flooding owing to the Krishna backwaters are unfounded. KWDT-I headed by Justice R.S. Bachawat, and subsequently the KWDT-II headed by Justice Brijesh Kumar, had looked into the issue and ruled that Karnataka could not be denied the right to increase the dam height, in 2013. 'Karnataka planned the construction of the Almatti dam up to FRL 524.256 m back in 1969. The KWDT-I headed by Justice R.S. Bachawat, and subsequently the KWDT-II headed by Justice Brijesh Kumar have not imposed any restrictions on the height of the Almatti dam,' the letter said, pointing out that objections of both Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra had been overruled after considering the views of experts. While Andhra Pradesh had demanded that the dam height be restricted to 515 m, Maharashtra demanded it be kept at 512 m. The Chief Minister noted in the letter that even though there is no backwater effect, a three-tier Inter-State flood co-ordination committee had been established by both the States to prevent any inadvertent mismanagement in the regulation, the integration, and the coordination of flood monitoring. 'I may also recall that the Vadhere committee of technical experts, appointed by the Maharashtra government, had gone into the alleged flooding in 2019 and blamed it on encroachment, since these encroachments are narrowing the channels in Sangli and Kolhapur districts,'' he said. Money spent Karnataka has spent nearly ₹20,000 crore to create infrastructure for the utilisation of the additional allocation of 173 tmcft of water besides the allocation of 729 tmcft under the KWDT-I decision. Even Maharashtra has reportedly spent on infrastructure to utilise the additional 85 tmcft of surplus water allocated to it, the letter noted. Mohan Kataraki, senior advocate at the Supreme Court who has argued for Karnataka in water disputes, said: 'By this letter, Karnataka has clarified its stand not only on submergence issue but also on its right to raise the Almatti dam height to FRL 524.256 m even without waiting for publication of the award by the Union government under Section 6(1) of the Inter State Water Disputes Act of 1956.'
