Telangana-Andhra water sharing row: 1.5 tmcft Krishna water for Hyderabad

This decision by the KRMB comes after escalated tensions between the two states, over water sharing.
Telangana-Andhra water sharing row: 1.5 tmcft Krishna water for Hyderabad
Telangana-Andhra water sharing row: 1.5 tmcft Krishna water for Hyderabad
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The Krishna River Management Board issued a fresh order on Friday, that allotted 6.5 tmcft water to Andhra Pradesh, and a meagre 1.5 tmcft to Telangana, from the Nagarjunasagar dam.

According to reports, the water level at the Srisailam dam was at 785 feet on Friday, and is expected to drop to 775 feet, while the Nagarjuna Sagar dam, presently at 504.6 feet will drop to 502 feet.

Other reports add that Telangana will use the water to supply the drinking water needs of Hyderabad, while Andhra plans to supply the water to Guntur and Prakasam districts.

This decision by the KRMB comes after escalated tensions between the two states, who have been warring over water ever since bifurcation.

Earlier this week, irrigation officials from Andhra lodged a police complaint against their Telangana counterparts, after the latter stopped releasing water to the project's right canal.

The Andhra-Telangana border has two major dams on the Krishna River. While the Srisailam dam, is situated upstream, the Nagarjuna Sagar dam is situated downstream.

The Nagarjuna Sagar has two canals. The left canal, and the right canal, both of which are under Telangana’s control, after orders of the KRMB.

As Telangana officials cut off water supply to the right canal, Andhra irrigation officials rushed to the site and demanded that water be released. 

While Andhra officials claimed that they were eligible to draw one more tmcft of drinking water from the project, Telangana officials claimed that the state had used up its quota.

This led to a heated argument, which resulted in policemen being deployed on both sides. 

Srisailam dam's full capacity is 885 feet, and its dead storage level is 800 feet. The full capacity of the Nagarjuna Sagar dam is 590 feet, while its dead storage level is 510 feet.  

Since both the dams are already below their dead storage level, the pressure of the water being released is low, and the states might need to install pumps, to transport the water to its final destination during the summer this year.

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