Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh (A.P.,) on the 5th of July, wrote to the Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and the Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar.
According to sources, the letter was written in regard to the ongoing water dispute between the two Telugu states, Andhra Pradesh (A.P.,) and Telangana.
Recently, the two states are having arguments and disagreement over the water sharing issue. The dispute between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana is continuing over the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation work. The illegal construction and projects on the banks of the Krishna and the Godavari rivers by the Telangana Government and the Andhra Pradesh Government is a long pending matter with the Union Government, the A.P., Government, the Telangana Government and other concerned official authorities.
In the letter written to the union ministers, Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy sought directions to finalise the jurisdiction of the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB). Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy raised an objection over Telangana utilising Krishna River water for generation of hydel power. In addition, the State Chief Minister also requested the union ministers to direct the KRMB to visit the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme for inspection only after visiting projects in Telangana.
The letter read, “In view of this adamant attitude of Telangana, reaching 854 ft water levels in Srisailam seems to be a herculean task, which is essential for drawing water through gravity for the schemes dependent on Pothireddypadu Head Regulator. This will cause severe stress to the chronically drought-prone Rayalaseema region, Nellore, Prakasam districts and also Chennai, as they depend on Srisailam reservoir for their drinking water and irrigation needs.” It further read, “The intention of Telangana is to deprive A.P., of its due share of allocated water.”
The letter was said to be a response to the recently lodged complaint by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) Government over the construction of the Rayalaseema Irrigation Project of A.P., Government.
However, the A.P., Government denied the allegations and assured that the detailed project report (DPR) for the Rayalaseema project was already submitted to the Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) on the 30th of June. Jagan Mohah Reddy also sought environmental clearance for the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme at the earliest.
The water utilisation of the Godavari River and the ongoing war of water between the two Telugu states intensified in the past few days. Recently, both the state governments took a dig at each other and complained to the KRMB.
