26-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Telangana seeks allocation of assured water to drought-prone areas
HYDERABAD: Telangana counsel on Friday explained to the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal (Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II) how the lift irrigation schemes are essential for the state and how historically gravity flows were denied to it, compelling it to take up the lift irrigation schemes.
The counsel, using maps, explained how the reorganisation of states in 1956 and improper persuasion by the erstwhile AP with Union government and KWDT-I impacted the gravity flows to the tune of 174.3 tmcft to Telangana areas.
He also explained how the ongoing projects like Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC), Kalwakurthi LIS, Nettampadu LIS, Palamuru-Rangareddy LIS and Dindi LIS with a total water requirement should be covered under assured water, under 75% dependability.
The senior counsel brought to the notice of the Tribunal, the proposal of Karnataka, during earlier proceedings of this Tribunal in 2009-2010 about the issue of resolving the height of the Almatti dam, to facilitate the usage of 60 tmcft by Andhra Pradesh from enhanced storage of Almatti.
However, unfortunately the then Andhra Pradesh government denied the proposal and he expressed that if Telangana state existed at that time, it would have got the benefit of this 60 tmcft and would have bargained for more by way of gravity canals from Almatti project.
He submitted how the area under Nagarjuna Sagar Left Canal (NSLC) in Telangana region was brought down from 6.6 lakh acres to 5.4 lakh acres, duly reducing the water utilisation and simultaneously increasing the areas from 1.3 lakh acres to 3.8 lakh acres, contradicting the Planning Commission Approval of NSP in 1956.
He explained the Palamuru-Rangareddy LIS and SLBC projects in detail and also storage reservoirs created under these projects, and also about other ongoing projects.
Explaining in detail the status of all the ongoing projects, he also sought allocation of assured water to the most deserved drought-prone and fluoride-affected areas of Telangana within the Krishna basin.
The allocation of assured water to Telangana projects will not in any way impact the the Andhra Pradesh as it gets enough water for its projects from the self-yield in other basins and alternate sources, he argued.
Telangana's senior counsel concluded his final arguments for this session on Friday. The next hearing is scheduled for August 28 and 29.
