Karnataka's push on Almatti Dam height sets off Congress vs Congress fight with Telangana

After Tuesday's Karnataka cabinet meeting, where the decision was made, Siddaramaiah urged the Union government to clear the decks for increasing the height of the Almatti dam by issuing a gazette notification. Karnataka is learnt to have set aside Rs 70,000 crore to acquire 1.30 lakh acres for the land acquisition process.

Telanagana govt's response

On Sunday, the Telangana government said that it will oppose the Karnataka government's proposal to increase the height of Almatti dam across River Krishna. Telangana State Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy said the government will present its case in Delhi against Karnataka's proposal to increase the height of the Almatti Dam, the centre of a long-standing inter-state water dispute involving several stakeholders.

The Telangana government argues that the move violates riparian rights and a 2013 Supreme Court stay, initiated by undivided Andhra Pradesh and continued by Telangana in 2014.

"The Almatti Dam issue is currently under consideration in the Supreme Court. I will personally travel to Delhi to present arguments against raising the dam's height. We will fight any other state to secure Telangana’s fair share of Krishna and Godavari waters. The state has faced injustice in the allocation of these river waters," Reddy said.

The Telangana government is also believed to be exploring all legal options available, including moving the Supreme Court on the matter to protect its interests on water issues. Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy is likely to hold a meeting on the issue after the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal (KWDT) II hearing scheduled for Tuesday.

A lingering issue

Irrigation officials say that Krishna water is crucial for both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh with some districts completely dependent on it for irrigation and drinking water. An increase in the dam's height would cause severe harm to Telangana's farmers as well as raise questions on the viability of multiple schemes planned by the Telangana government that depend on Krishna waters.

The contentious issue of the Almatti Dam has existed for several decades with the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh and later Telangana governments opposing any increase in its height to increase storage capacity. The Karnataka government, on the other hand, has been making attempts to vacate the stay order issued by the Supreme Court in the matter and also pressing the central government to issue a gazette notification on the final allocation of Krishna waters in its favour.

The latest decision by the Siddaramaiah-led Karnataka Cabinet has also caused political rumblings with several parties in Telangana as well as Andhra Pradesh opposing the move and calling on their respective state governments to act against it in time.

'Death warrant for Telangana farmers'

BRS Working President KT Rama Rao came down heavily on the Congress-led Karnataka government for deciding to raise the Almatti Dam height, calling it a "death warrant" for Telangana farmers and also slammed Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy for "luxuriating in Delhi" while a dangerous conspiracy was being hatched against Telangana's farmers.

He alleged that Karnataka's decision was not merely for an additional 100 TMC of water, but part of a conspiracy to deprive Telangana of its rightful share of Krishna waters and turn erstwhile Mahabubnagar, Nalgonda, and Ranga Reddy districts into deserts.

"Congress is in power here and there, too. Do you have neither the courage to speak nor the guts to resist when Telangana farmers' lives are at stake?" he asked, demanding that both Revanth Reddy and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi answer the Telangana people.

"Will you sacrifice Telangana farmers for Karnataka's interests?" he thundered, warning that if the conspiracy was not thwarted immediately, BRS would launch a mass movement with farmers. He also expressed anguish that the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme--90% completed under KCR's tenure--would be rendered useless if Almatti is raised. "Revanth, who calls himself a son of Palamuru, is silently watching this disaster," he added.

Telangana Jagruthi chief K Kavitha also expressed strong opposition to the Karnataka government's decision, warning that the move would severely impact Telangana's share of Krishna river water and urged CM Revanth Reddy to approach the Supreme Court to secure a stay.

Kavitha said the proposed elevation of the dam poses a grave threat to Telangana's irrigation needs. "Karnataka Government has decided to increase the height of Almatti Dam by 5 metres, which is going to be very unfortunate development when we think about it from Telangana's perspective. Because as it is, Krishna River water does not Telangana's fields until August in any given year. If this dam and its height is increased by 5 metres, Krishna river will never reach Telangana," she said, adding that Karnataka's move violates an existing Supreme Court stay order on the matter.

"This is a development that has already been stayed in the Supreme Court. Unfortunately, Karnataka Government is violating that Supreme Court stay and is taking this decision. So, I demand that the Telangana Government and CM Revanth Reddy immediately approach Supreme Court, get some relief and stop this activity," she added further.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also said the state government will approach the Supreme Court if Karnataka goes ahead with its plan to increase the height of Almatti dam.

"If need be, Maharashtra will move the Supreme Court and file a petition against the Karnataka government," he said on Wednesday. One of Maharashtra's objections is that increasing the height of the Almatti dam could cause flooding in the districts of Sangli and Kolhapur, which share borders with Karnataka.