Deficit sharing, an end to conflict
Water stands at about 500 ft at Nagarjunasagar, while the average at Srisailam has fallen below 450-500 tmc ft
If you think nature’s bounty needs to be shared, think again.
The tribunals overseeing the division of Krishna water between Maharashtra, Karnataka and undivided Andhra Pradesh (and now Telangana state) did not envisage a system where the upper states like Karnataka would share both joy and sorrow with the downstream states.
Called deficit sharing, the system allocates month-wise and quantum-wise sharing of water between the four states based on their entitlement.
If this system were in place, the Almatti Dam in Karnataka would hold the quantum of water it is entitled to and release the rest downstream. The Narayanapur, Jurala, Srisailam, Tungabhadra and Nagarjunasagar dams downstream would follow suit.
This would be crucial, especially in the years when the water flow is less. It would provide a minimum guarantee of water which can be used for drinking or irrigation.
Way back in 1976, Justice R.S. Bachawat, heading the Krishna Waters Dispute Tribunal (KWDT)-1, did not mention deficit sharing in the award. The KWDT-2 final award in 2013 by Justice Brijesh Kumar also did not mention deficit sharing.
Deficit sharing is not in the terms of reference of the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal that is hearing arguments among the two Telugu states over water sharing.