Hyderabad: Former irrigation minister T Harish Rao condemned the alleged unilateral release of water from the Nagarjuna Sagar Project by the Andhra Pradesh govt through the right canal without the KRMB’s permission. Reacting to the developments at the Nagarjuna Sagar Project, Harish questioned how AP officials could proceed with drawing water when discussions on the allocation were still pending and no decision had been taken. He demanded that the Telangana govt immediately take up the issue with the KRMB and ensure that AP does not draw water without due authorisation and without protecting Telangana’s legitimate share. Harish alleged that the latest development was part of a continuing pattern in which Telangana’s interests in Krishna water were being compromised.“On one side, around 11 TMC of water is being drawn from the Srisailam reservoir through the Veligonda Tunnel. Now, water is being drawn from the Nagarjuna Sagar right canal without the necessary approvals. At a time when the state is facing difficult water conditions, allowing water to be diverted in this manner is highly condemnable,” the senior BRS leader said. He alleged that Telangana had already suffered significant losses over the past two years due to the failure of the Congress govt to effectively utilise the state’s share of Krishna water. “For the past two years, Telangana has failed to utilise even its temporary share of Krishna water to the extent it should have. The state has witnessed extremely low utilisation of Krishna water, causing a serious loss to Telangana. The same approach appears to be continuing this year as well,” Harish said.He criticised chief minister A Revanth Reddy for allegedly failing to prevent the diversion of Telangana’s rightful share of Krishna water. “The CM, who is responsible for protecting Telangana’s share of Krishna water, is watching silently while AP draws water. When AP is ignoring the KRMB and proceeding without waiting for the three-member committee, why is the Telangana govt not raising its voice?” he asked. Harish said the CM’s silence was becoming detrimental to Telangana’s drinking and irrigation water interests. He also appealed to Union minister Kishan Reddy to intervene in this issue.
