KCR may need to step in to get Krishna water

The state government’s efforts to get 15 tmc ft of Krishna river water released from the Almatti and Narayanpur dams has not yielded any results as Karnataka has refused the request, stating that the matter should be settled at the highest level.

Irrigation minister T. Harish Rao had written to his Karnataka counterpart M.B. Patil last week, requesting him to release 15 tmc ft of Krishna waters immediately to tide over the drinking water scarcity in Hyderabad city and 300 villages in Nalgonda district. He also spoke to Mr Patil over the phone, informing him that he will be deputing a senior engineer to work out the modalities.

Accordingly, Nagarjunasagar dam chief engineer S. Suneel flew to Bengaluru four days ago, met the minister and handed over the letter. He was directed to meet Mr Anzum Parwez, managing director of the Krishna Bhagya Jal Nigam, the controlling authority of the Almatti/Narayanpur dams, who promised to discuss the issue with board officials.

Mr Suneel also met Mr Rakesh Singh, principal secretary, water resources, who also promised to consider the request positively.

After waiting in Bengaluru for two days, Mr Suneel was told that “such a request cannot be agreed at the official level, and a decision should be taken at Chief Minister level”.

Mr Suneel told this newspaper: “The managing director of the Krishna Bhagya Jal Nigam clearly told me that if at all releases have to be made, a gazette notification needs to be issued and for this he requires permission from higherups like the irrigation minister and the Chief Minister. He told me that inflows into Almatti are declining and whatever inflows they are getting are just sufficient to meet the irrigation requirements in the command areas.”

Sources said that with Karnataka going in for Assembly elections in a few months, the Congress government cannot take the decision of releasing water to Telangana state as such a decision may be politically exploited by Opposition parties.

TS special chief secretary, irrigation, S.K. Joshi confirmed to this paper that the Bengaluru trip had yielded nothing and the matter would have to be pushed at the political level.

Asked about the drinking water crisis in the state, Mr Joshi merely said, “We are hopeful of getting inflows this week as heavy rainfall is predicted. We will review the situation from time to time.”

Mr Suneel said that due to ongoing dredging operations by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Board, “there will be no immediate crisis as far as Hyderabad city drinking water needs go. But 300 villages in Nalgonda district, whose only source is the Nagarjunasagar dam, will suffer."

When contacted, Mr Harish Rao said, “Though they were sympathetic about our request, it seems they are hesitating due to political compulsions. We have been told that there will be heavy rains in the Mahabaleswar area in the coming week. As the Almatti and Narayanpur dams are full, any additional inflows will have to be released to Telangana state.”

He said the government would wait for a week. “If the scarcity continues we will take up the matter at the highest level. Either I may go to Bengaluru or the Chief Minister will contact his Karnataka counterpart,” Mr Harish Rao said.