Telangana argues for restriction of diversion for KC Canal system by A.P.

HYDERABAD

Telangana has argued before the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal, Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II, that Andhra Pradesh had increased the utilisation of water for the Kurnool-Cuddapah (KC) Canal system, disregarding the June 1944 agreement between the erstwhile Hyderabad and Madras States and later obtained the same as allocation.

Andhra (Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema, including ceded districts that comprised Ballari too) was a part of the Madras State then.

Resuming the final arguments before the Tribunal in New Delhi on Wednesday in the matter of Section 3 (ISRWD Act, 1956) reference made for redistribution of Krishna water between the residuary States of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh from out of the allocation of 811 tmc ft (assured water) made to erstwhile (combined) AP, Senior Counsel appearing for Telangana C.S. Vaidyanathan said the KC Canal was developed with the consent of erstwhile Hyderabad State (now Telangana).

The condition for Hyderabad’s consent was that no objections should be raised in future if Hyderabad chose to divert water, the counsel explained and added that the 1944 agreement reached between Hyderabad and Madras States was for diversion of 10 tmc ft water for KC Canal and 17.1 tmc ft for Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme (RDS) — 15.9 tmc ft for Telangana (Hyderabad) and 1.2 tmc ft for Karnataka (Raichur, then a part of Hyderabad).

Further, the counsel for Telangana stated that the same was presented by the Central water and Power commission in the Inter-State Conference, 1951.

However, disregarding the 1944 Agreement, A.P. went on to increase the utilisation of KC Canal to 39.9 tmc ft, he submitted to the Tribunal adding that the actual utilisation on an average was 54 tmc ft.

Besides, A.P. did not furnish the details of contribution by streams/rivulets such as Nippulavagu, Galeru and Kundu, all tributaries of Penna river, to an extent of 5.2 tmc ft to the command area of KC Canal before the KWDT-I, the counsel for Telangana submitted to the Tribunal (KWDT-II), according to officials of the Telangana Irrigation department who were present at the hearing.

The Telangana counsel also explained with the help of maps how three additional sources — Muchumarri-KC Canal lift irrigation scheme, Malyala LIS and Escape Channel through Nippulavagu at Banakacherla — were being used to release water to the KC Canal from Srisailam reservoir in addition from the Sunkesula Barrage, the main source of KC Canal system. These diversions contravene the KWDT-I Award.

When the Tribunal enquired about how much quantum of water was being diverted from the Escape Channel, the Telangana counsel explained that A.P. government was objecting to the installation of telemetry equipment at the Banakacherla Cross Regulator complex where the Escape Channel regulator takes off. Unless telemetry was installed at all the regulators at Banakacherla complex, the accounting of releases to KC Canal, SRBC, TGP and others was not possible.

The counsel for Telangana further submitted that the availability of water to KC Canal was 45.1 TMC (39.9+ 5.2) and crop water requirement for the area under KC Canal as per the scientific assessment was only 18.51 tmc ft. Thus, there would be a saving of 26.59 tmc ft (45.1-18.51) and it should be allocated to the in-basin projects in Telangana. The Tribunal was pleaded for placing an administrative mechanism to restrict the utilisation of KC Canal to the allocated quantity.