Telangana's Water Rights Crusade: Govt Steps Up for Krishna Basin

Telangana's Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy reaffirmed the government's commitment to securing the state's legitimate share of Krishna basin waters. Emphasizing the need to mitigate local hardships, Reddy reviewed ongoing legal disputes and instructed the legal team to pursue equitable water share actively before KWDT-II and the Supreme Court.

Telangana Minister for Irrigation and Civil Supplies, N Uttam Kumar Reddy, reiterated the government's commitment on Sunday to safeguard the water rights and interests of the state's populace in the Krishna basin. He underscored the necessity for Telangana to secure its fair share of Krishna waters, as dictated by basin parameters and in-basin demands, to alleviate the distress and hardships faced by residents in the region. The minister emphasized that there would be no compromise on this critical matter.

In a review of inter-state issues concerning the Krishna water disputes, Reddy conferred with senior advocates C S Vaidyanathan and V Ravinder Rao, Advisor Adityanath Das, Secretary Rahul Bojja, and other members of the legal team. Vaidyanathan provided a brief on the status of various issues pending before the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II (KWDT-II) and the Supreme Court, proposing a way forward.

The meeting resolved to seek an interim revision of the water-sharing ratio to at least 50:50 until final allocations are determined by KWDT-II. The minister also reiterated the government's stance, solidified by a legislative resolution passed on February 12, 2024, against transferring any components of the Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar Projects to the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB).

Further discussions covered the pending KWDT-II decision (civil appeals) before the Supreme Court, with Vaidyanathan recommending direct engagement with Maharashtra and Karnataka to seek an amicable resolution. Reddy concurred with this approach and directed actions towards this end. He urged the legal and technical teams to leave no stone unturned in securing an equitable water share for Telangana, to be tenacious in their legal pursuits before both the Tribunal and the Supreme Court.

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