Telangana's Battle for Krishna Waters: A Call for Fair Allocation

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy urged the state's irrigation department to robustly present its case before the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II for equitable water allocation. He emphasized project-wise allocation and urged dialogue with key stakeholders, objecting to Andhra Pradesh's river-linking project without consent.

In a decisive move, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy pressed the state's irrigation department to mount a compelling argument before the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II concerning Telangana's claim over Krishna river water.

During a strategic meeting in New Delhi, Reddy instructed officials to advocate using Section 3 of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act of 1956 and insisted on project-specific allocations as per the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act, 2014. The Chief Minister criticized Andhra Pradesh's unauthorized Godavari-Banakacherla interlinking project.

Reddy further tasked officials with notifying Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu about Telangana's stance. He also called for IIT Hyderabad to study the Bhadrachalam flooding linked to the Polavaram project, while pursuing permissions for local irrigation developments.

(With inputs from agencies.)