KRMB directs Telangana to halt Srisailam power drawal for drinking water

HYDERABAD: The Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) has directed the Telangana government to stop drawing water from the Srisailam reservoir for hydro-electric generation, warning that continued use could jeopardise drinking water supplies in the coming months as storage depletes rapidly.

The directive, addressed to the Secretary of Telangana's Irrigation Department, was issued after a three-member committee meeting held on Friday failed to reach an agreement on water-sharing during the ongoing lean water year. The KRMB's communication came in response to a complaint from Andhra Pradesh earlier that day, which flagged the “excessive drawal of water for power generation by TG-Genco” leading to a fast drop in reservoir levels.

Quoting the XI Schedule of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, the KRMB said in its letter that conservation of water is essential to protect drinking water needs. The Schedule states: “In the event of conflicting demand of water for irrigation and power, the requirement of water for irrigation shall take precedence and in the event of conflicting demand of water for irrigation and drinking needs, the requirement of water for drinking needs shall take precedence.”

A senior engineer in Telangana's Irrigation Department, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed receipt of the board's communication but said a decision had not yet been taken. The engineer, however, accused the KRMB of bias, pointing out that the board had ignored Andhra Pradesh's extensive drawals from the same reservoir for various projects. These include the Pothireddypadu Head Regulator (gravity drawal), Handri-Neeva lift at Malyala, KC Canal supplementation lift at Malyala and Muchumarri, and more recently the Veligonda project (also a gravity drawal).

The engineer further contended that the board had remained silent on what he described as a unilateral release of water by Andhra Pradesh for the Nagarjunasagar Right Canal since the last week of August. That action, he said, had forced Telangana to draw water from the Nagarjunasagar Left Canal to meet its needs.

Data shared by the engineer indicated that as of Saturday, Andhra Pradesh was drawing a total of 15,355 cusecs of water from Srisailam — roughly 1.5 thousand million cubic feet (tmc ft) per day — through official channels. This compares to Telangana's drawal of about 2,400 cusecs for the Kalwakurthy lift scheme.

Meanwhile, K.T. Rama Rao, working president of the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), criticised the river board's directive as evidence of the Telangana government's failure to assert the state's water rights. In a statement, he asked both the state government and the KRMB whether the XI Schedule provisions apply only to Telangana.

The dispute underscores the ongoing tension between the two states over Krishna river water, particularly in times of scarcity. Srisailam reservoir, which straddles the border, is a critical source for irrigation, drinking water, and power generation for both states. The KRMB, a central authority responsible for regulation and sharing of Krishna waters, has often intervened during periods of acute shortage, but its decisions have frequently been challenged by one or both states.

Officials from both states are expected to engage in further discussions, but with no consensus achieved so far, the coming months are likely to see continued friction over the river's dwindling resources.