Telangana and Andhra Pradesh should coordinate to manage water in the Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar reservoirs, says Minister for Water Resources Nimmala Ramanaidu.
| Photo Credit: File Photo
Ministers for Water Resources / Irrigation from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka have decided to resolve water disputes through discussions in a positive atmosphere.
At a meeting at Udaipur in Rajasthan on Wednesday, Andhra Pradesh Minister for Water Resources Nimmala Ramanaidu and his Telangana and Karnataka counterparts Uttam Kumar Reddy and D.K. Shivakumar discussed issues such as water-sharing, Tungabhadra storage, siltation, etc.
They emphasised the need for working together and taking collective decisions to ensure the welfare of farmers in all the three States, without causing harm to anyone.
Mr. Ramanaidu said that instead of focusing on this year’s water levels, attention should be given to the inflows to the Krishna River over the past 10 years. “Water downstream of the Krishna River can flow only if the Almatti, Narayanpur, and Jurala projects are filled. At this stage, it has become challenging to supply water to the Krishna Delta and the Nagarjuna Sagar Ayacut,” he explained.
He also mentioned that officials from both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh should coordinate to manage the water in the Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar reservoirs. This would ensure that farmers in both States did not face crop losses, or drinking water shortages, until June.
Mr. Shivakumar, who is also Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister, expressed his intention to visit Andhra Pradesh and meet Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to discuss alternative measures to address silt removal from the Tungabhadra reservoir.
He suggested that discussions first be held at the official level with appropriate proposals before meeting the Chief Minister, a press release said.
Published – February 20, 2025 03:45 am IST