Telangana's Battle for Krishna River Waters

Telangana asserts its claim to almost 70% of Krishna river waters, as state Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy leads the fight before the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II. The case, highlighting population, drought regions, and cultivable land, has reached its final stage of arguments.

Telangana has staked a claim to nearly 70% of Krishna River's waters, originally allocated to the former united Andhra Pradesh, according to state Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy. Speaking at a press conference in New Delhi, the minister underscored the state's pursuit of an equitable share before the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II.

The minister revealed that the case has proceeded to its concluding arguments, with Telangana presenting its stance since February. Senior advocate S Vaidyanathan, representing Telangana, has been allotted three days to detail the state's arguments, as per a press release from Reddy's office.

The state's claim is based on parameters such as catchment area, population within the basin, drought-prone regions, and cultivable land. Reddy criticized Andhra Pradesh for diverting a substantial portion of its allocation for outside-basin use, while lambasting the previous BRS government for agreeing to what he described as an unfair allocation for Telangana.