The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Honour water accord, Jayalalithaa appeals to Andhra Pradesh

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Sep 13, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Honour water accord, Jayalalithaa appeals to Andhra Pradesh

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, SEPT. 12. The Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, today urged Andhra Pradesh to honour the 1983 Krishna water agreement and take steps to release water to Chennai.

In a letter to her counterpart, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, she said that under the agreement, Andhra Pradesh should have made available 12 tmcft to Chennai at the Tamil Nadu border. (Tamil Nadu's share was fixed at 15 tmcft.)

According to a June 1996 order of the Andhra Pradesh Irrigation and Command Area Development department, the first priority was supplying 15 tmcft to Chennai from the Srisailam reservoir. ``This is as per the operation rules published by the Government of Andhra Pradesh. Thus, the clear intention incorporated in both the agreement and the operation rules is that the water supply to Chennai city would receive the first priority,'' she said.

Ms. Jayalalithaa pointed out that the State Government had always been providing more than the requisite share of the Telugu Ganga project cost in advance. ``So far, Tamil Nadu has paid Rs. 512 crores to the Government of Andhra Pradesh for enabling water to reach the Tamil Nadu border. Thus, Tamil Nadu has met its obligations under the agreement. Even after more than two decades, the promised quantity of water is not reaching the Tamil Nadu border. This is of great concern. This situation has to be remedied.''

Expressing the hope that it would `easily' be possible for Andhra Pradesh to ensure that water reached Tamil Nadu by building up adequate storage at Somasila and Kandaleru, she said: ``I wish to remind you that Chennai city's water requirements take number one priority and this has to be honoured. This is an urgent necessity given the fact that all the three storage reservoirs supplying water to Chennai city have gone totally dry. I will be grateful if you can immediately find the necessary solution to ensure that the water reaches the Tamil Nadu border.''

This was her second letter to Dr. Reddy on the subject. The previous one was sent 10 days ago.

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