The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Water row with Karnataka brewing?

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Friday, Jun 01, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Water row with Karnataka brewing?

M. Malleswara Rao

Contention over Tungabhadra water

HYDERABAD: A fresh confrontation is building up between Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, this time over the waters that have to flow out from the Thungabhadra dam at Hospet.

Andhra Pradesh is entitled to get 41 thousand million cubic ft (tmcft) of water annually from the dam in line with the Krishna Water Tribunal Award but it rarely receives this quota in full. Supply by Karnataka has always fallen short of the allocation.

This year, the Tungabhadra High Level Canal (HLC) and the Low Level Canal (LLC) realised only 22 tmcft and 12 tmcft respectively against their original allocations of 32 tmcft and 19 tmcft, although the dam itself was full with 132 tmcft.

This was in spite of Andhra Pradesh's relentless persuasion with Karnataka and taking up the matter with the Thungabhadra Board which regulates the outflows, with common staff.

The board's chairman is the Chief Engineer, Central Water Commission, Hyderabad.

Water shortage

As a result, villages and towns in Rayalaseema faced shortage of drinking water. Part of the 2.65 lakh acre ayacut of HLC in Anantapur and Kadapa districts was left fallow and sown crop dried up. Tail-end areas of the LLC's 60,000 acre ayacut in Kurnool district did not get replenishments.

AP attributes the short supply to illegal tapping of the canals by Karnataka farmers through artificially created breaches and lack of action by the Karnataka police when complaints are lodged against them. The two canals pass through Karnataka for a stretch of over 150 km before entering Andhra Pradesh.

CISF deployment

A proposal by the board to deploy the Central Industrial Security Force along the canals in Karnataka to check illegal tapping is pending with the Union Home Ministry. The State offered to bear the entire estimated cost of the deployment, Rs. 30 lakh annually. Yet, there is no response from the Centre.

The State is of the view that Thungabhadra Board is "ineffective" in controlling Karnataka and ensure its quota. It has decided to file a writ in the Supreme Court for justice.

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