AP to hold all-party meet on Krishna Tribunal orders

Though AP got the highest share of 190 tmc ft of this fresh allocation followed by 177 tmc ft to Karnataka, the state is unhappy

The Andhra Pradesh government would hold an all-party meeting on the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II (KWDT) decisions before formulating its own response.

The tribunal reassessed the availability of water in Krishna River to determine the entitled share of water to each of the three riparian states of Andhra, Karnataka and Maharashtra within the existing framework in a bid to resolve the fresh disputes.

While protecting the allocation made at 75 per cent dependability by the KWDT-I to the three states (2,130 thousand million cubic ft), the present tribunal further allocated 448 tmc ft among them based on 65 per cent dependability and the available of surplus out of the average flows.

AP got the highest share of 190 tmc ft of this fresh allocation followed by 177 tmc ft to Karnataka. However, the state government is not happy with the arrangement as it was claiming full rights over the surplus water by the stature of being the lower riparian state.

The new arrangement, however, would avert a potential dispute between Telangana and Seemandhra after the bifurcation because the coastal Andhra leadership has sought to extend the argument of the full claim over surplus water to their region. Post bifurcation, Telangana becomes yet another upper riparian state.

Responding to a volley of questions on Saturday, state irrigation minister P Sudarshan Reddy ,who hails from Telangana, said the government was not happy with the decision.

In a solace to the government, the tribunal order would not be notified by the Centre as there is a special leave petition pending before the Supreme Court related to these issues.

The KWDT-II allocated 150 tmc ft for carryover target in the reservoirs of Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar for specific purpose to mitigate deficiencies during the lean years. Though the tribunal has given an additional 25 tmc ft at 65 per cent dependability and 105 tmc of surplus water to Almatti dam in Karnataka, it put a rider that these waters can be used only after AP realises 811 tmcft.