KG waters row due to Centre’s delay, say TS, AP

The TS and AP governments say that as long as the Centre delays a decision on the sharing of Krishna and Godavari waters, tensions would escalate.

The TRS government had approached the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal (KWDT) in 2014 to resolve the issue over sharing of water in the Krishna basin. has pointed out the tribunal has not passed its award even six years later. He has demanded the constitution of a permanent inter-state river water dispute tribunal and drafting a national water policy.

The YSR Congress has demanded a time-bound resolution of river water disputes. During a debate on the Inter-State River Water Disputes (Amendment) Bill, 2019 in the Lok Sabha in July last year, the YSR Congress had stated that river water disputes should be solved within six months.

Former minister M.V. Mysoora Reddy, an expert on irrigation, felt that both states have to build pressure on the Centre to ensure speedy resolution of the differences.

He said there should be a debate on whether the new project contemplated by the AP government to divert water from the Srisailam project to Rayalaseema would fulfil the irrigation needs of the region or not.

Mysoora Reddy said that before going ahead with the new projects, the AP government has to first complete the pending works on the Galeru-Nagari, HandriNeeva and Veligonda projects.

Sridhar Deshpande, officer on special duty at the TS irrigation department, said the Centre was solely responsible for the pending disputes.

He said that the Centre took one year to fill a vacancy in the three-member Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal. “That itself shows the commitment and intention of the Centre,” Deshpande said and added that attitude was deplorable.

Deshpande said that during the drafting of the AP Reorganisation Act, the then Congress government did not list certain ongoing projects though they were grounded by the Congress regime.