Water release from Sagar to Krishna delta resumes

HYDERABAD: The engineering officials at Nagarjuna Sagar, who had halted the supply of water to Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday night, resumed supply on Wednesday.

However, the Central Water Commission (CWC) will hod a meeting on July 7 or 8 to discuss the row between the two states -- Telangana and Andhra Pradesh -- on sharing the water of the Krishna river.

The Telangana government has already expressed its displeasure on the 'unilateral' decision of the commission to continue the supply of the water to AP.

As per the directions of the Telangana government, water supply to Andhra Pradesh was stopped late Tuesday night. But as per fresh orders issued by the CWC, engineers at Nagarjuna Sagar started supply of (6,000 cusecs) drinking water to Andhra Pradesh.

However, Nagarjuna Sagar Project (NSP) officials were under fire from Telangana ministers. 'Though NSP is located in Telangana, the officials are helping Andhra Pradesh, home minister Nayani Narasimha Reddy said.

With protests erupting from the ministers of Telangana, the CWC informed both the governments that it will hold a meeting with them either on July 7 or 8 under CWC and Krishna River Water Management Board chairman Ashwin Pandey.

It may be recalled that after the first instalment of 3.6 tmc was supplied on Tuesday, the Telangana government directed officials at NSP to stop supply to AP but resumed supply after representations from the Andhra Pradesh government.

The decision to resume supply was taken without consultation with the Telangana government. Irked by this, the Telangana government has expressed its desire to lodge a strong protest in the meeting to be held later this week.

'We are planning to write a letter to the CWC. There is no basis in the arguments raised by AP that the water released from NSP did not reach AP. In the normal course, the water released would take three to four days to reach Prakasam Barrage.

But, in the wake of construction of the Pulichintala Project, it will take six days to reach,' Telangana irrigation minister T Harish Rao said and added that AP is using the water, meant for drinking, for agriculture purposes.

According to sources, Telangana government officials have sought inputs from intelligence about how the AP government has used the water.

The officials, if necessary, can also use satellite images to verify whether AP used the water for drinking water needs or for raising nurseries, the sources added.