BRS accuses State government of allowing A.P. draw excess Krishna water

The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has accused the Congress government and Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy of keeping silent on drawal of Krishna water by Andhra Pradesh in excess of the share as per the ad hoc arrangement in force till finalisation of shares by the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal (KWDT-II).

Deputy Floor Leader of the BRS in Assembly and former minister T. Harish Rao stated here on Tuesday (February 10) that the issue of excess use of water by A.P. over the agreed share was proved with the letter of Engineer-in-Chief of Telangana addressed to the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) on January 28.

Quoting the contents of the letter, Mr. Harish Rao against the agreed water share of 66:34 (AP:Telangana) only 2.45 tmc ft water was due for drawal by A.P. as on January 27, both from Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar reservoirs. Addressing a press conference he stated that AP had drawn 664 tmc ft of Krishna water so far this water year (2025-26), 16 tmc ft in excess, and it amounted to over 80% share against its entitlement of 66%.

The BRS leader explained that a letter written to the ENC of A.P. by the Member-Secretary of KRMB, in response to Telangana’s letter to the board, on February 6 it was stated that as on January 29 A.P. had utilised 79.21% and Telangana just 20.79% against their agreed temporary shares of 66 and 34, respectively. The letter had put the water drawal of A.P. at 555.5 tmc ft as on January 31 against 156.04 tmc ft.

According to the river board, the drawal shares work out to 78.07% and 21.93% by AP and Telangana, respectively, as on January 31. Such a huge excess drawal of water by A.P. was making the prospects of standing crops under lift irrigation systems including Kalwakurthy based on Srisailam reservoir water and Left Canal under Nagarjunasagar project uncertain.

Mr. Harish Rao alleged that Mr. Revanth Reddy was paying ‘guru dakshina’ to his A.P. counterpart and political mentor N. Chandrababu Naidu by allowing the neighbouring State to draw Krishna water indiscriminately. He further alleged that the Telangana government had kept the ENC post, which would pursue the matter of river water use, vacant for about a week after the retirement of Mohd. Amjad Hussain on January 29.

He accused the Centre led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) too of doing injustice to Telangana by favouring A.P. in the matter of river water use, despite two Union Ministers from Telangana. He demanded that the State government stop water drawal by A.P. immediately and carry forward the unused water this year to next water year or else the BRS would not keep silent and stage a protest at KRMB office, if necessary.