Krishna river battle: Telangana let down again, disparity in water allocation raises concerns

Telangana and AP have been sharing Krishna waters in a 34:66 ratio, with Telangana entitled to 34 per cent and AP receiving 66 percent (Image: Screengrab/X)

The disparities in the allocation and utilisation of the Krishna river’s water between Andhra Pradesh (AP) and Telangana have once again raised concerns over the unfulfilled promise of a 50:50 split between the two Telugu states.

As per a report by Telangana Today, Telangana has been subjected to disparities in the sharing of Krishna water from the Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar projects, as the water year ended on May 31.

According to an ad hoc arrangement, which is in place for the last 11 years, Telangana and AP have been sharing Krishna waters in a 34:66 ratio, with Telangana entitled to 34 per cent and AP receiving 66 percent of the 811 TMC (thousand million cubic Feet) allocated to the undivided state.

However, in the 2024-25 water year that begins on June 1, the two Telugu states collectively used 1,015 TMC of water from the projects. While AP consumed over 730 TMC, Telangana was limited to 285 TMC, which is 28 per cent of the total water utilised.

The Srisailam project has received cumulative inflows of 1,630 TMC and AP drew 245 TMC from it, accounting for over 80 per cent of the water utilised. Meanwhile, Telangana usage was limited to 50 TMC, accounting for 17 per cent. The Pothireddypadu head regulator, which controls and diverts water from Srisailam Dam and primarily located in AP’s Rayalaseema region, drew 208 TMC by May 5, the end of the irrigation schedule.

From the Nagarjuna Sagar project, which received cumulative inflows of 1,262 TMC, the AP drew 217 TMC and Telangana 173 TMC. AP drew 190 TMC from the NSP right canal and 30 TMC from the NSP left canal, leaving Telangana with 122 TMC. Of this, approximately 16 TMC was allocated for Hyderabad’s water supply, 43 TMC for the AMR project and flood flow canal. At the Jurala project, Telangana’s total utilisation was only 41 TMC, with nearly 18 TMC allocated to the Nettempadu, Bhima and Koilsagar schemes.

Other AP projects, such as Handri-Neeva Sujala Sravanthi (30 TMC), Muchumarri Lift Irrigation Scheme (4 TMC) and Chennai Water Scheme (3 TMC), have also skewed water utilisation in the state’s favour.

The disparity in Krishna River water sharing has negatively impacted Telangana's water needs. The state’s access to water remains disproportionately limited despite Srisailam’s gross storage capacity of 215 TMC, live storage of 49.3 TMC.

The Telangana stakeholders are demanding urgent reforms to ensure equitable water distribution.