TG demands763 TMC of Krishna water; Uttam flays K’ntka for Almatti dam hike

Hyderabad: State Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Tuesday said the state was fighting for an equitable share of Krishna River waters before the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II (KWDT-II) and placed a claim for nearly 70 per cent of the water earlier allocated to the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh.

Outlining the allocations made earlier, Uttam Kumar Reddy recalled that the KWDT-II had awarded 1,005 TMC of Krishna waters to the then united Andhra Pradesh, which included 811 TMC at 75 per cent dependability, 49 TMC at 65 per cent dependability, and 145 TMC from average flows. In addition, 45 TMC was allotted from Godavari diversions, bringing the total to 1,050 TMC. Altogether, this amounts to 763 TMC of dependable water for Telangana, besides liberty to utilise the entire surplus over average flows.

He criticised Andhra Pradesh for earmarking a large portion of its en bloc allocation of 811 TMC for outside-basin diversions. Telangana had placed a strong plea before the tribunal to restrain Andhra Pradesh from such practices and direct it to utilise alternate water sources that are available. “The water thus saved must be diverted to Telangana to serve our drought-prone in-basin areas. Our state cannot be denied its fair entitlement while another state continues to divert water out of the Krishna basin,” he said.

The minister strongly opposed Karnataka’s move to increase the height of the Almatti dam, warning that such a step would directly harm Telangana’s interests. He said the state government would strengthen its argument in the Supreme Court to challenge the proposal and prevent Karnataka from going ahead. “Our government’s stand is very clear – Telangana will not permit any action that reduces its share. We will approach the Supreme Court to ensure that Karnataka is not allowed to raise the Almatti height,” he said.