Now Reading: AP, Telangana escalate Nagarjunasagar water release row
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AP, Telangana escalate Nagarjunasagar water release row
Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have escalated their tit-for-tat water releases from the Nagarjunasagar reservoir, with both states increasing outflow on Friday. Andhra Pradesh raised its release from the NS Right Canal to…
Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have escalated their tit-for-tat water releases from the Nagarjunasagar reservoir, with both states increasing outflow on Friday. Andhra Pradesh raised its release from the NS Right Canal to 6,553 cusecs, prompting Telangana to increase its release from the NS Left Canal to 6,650 cusecs. Both states began the exchange on August 26 and claim the water is for drinking needs.
The dispute stems from a post-2014 bifurcation agreement that gave Andhra Pradesh control of Srisailam and Telangana control of Nagarjunasagar. Each state accuses the other of drawing excess water. Telangana says AP takes more than its share from Srisailam, while AP alleges Telangana uses power generation as a pretext to divert water from Srisailam to Nagarjunasagar. The total water stored in Nagarjunasagar on Friday was 181.929 tmc ft against a capacity of 312.050 tmc ft.
Andhra Pradesh has written to the Union Jal Shakti Ministry demanding that Telangana be stopped from generating electricity at Srisailam, claiming Hyderabad has used about 40,000 cusecs of water from the reservoir. AP says Telangana has drawn over 34 tmc ft under the guise of power generation and that the Krishna River Management Board has failed to intervene.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The Nagarjunasagar water war has flared cyclically since the 2014 bifurcation, but this round is unusually public, with both states openly escalating releases. The gentlemen's agreement gave each state control of one major reservoir, but the interconnected Krishna basin means water released by one can be intercepted by the other. The Krishna River Management Board was created to adjudicate such disputes, but it lacks enforcement teeth. With the monsoon tapering and storage at Nagarjunasagar at 58% of capacity, the real pressure will come in summer. The Union Jal Shakti Ministry's response to AP's complaint will signal whether the Centre is willing to impose a solution or let the states keep raising the stakes.
Source: deccanchronicle.com
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
