BRIJESH TRIBUNAL VERDICT ON KRISHNA WATERS SET FOR TODAY

The Krishna Water Dispute Tiribunal-II headed by Justice Brijesh Kumar, which has submitted its report on allocation of Krishna waters among Maharashtra, Karnataka and combined Andhra Pradesh in 2010, is yet to give its judgment on the issue of re-allocation of water among four States including Telangana in Delhi on Wednesday. A high-level team from Telangana comprising of Advisor to the State Government (Irrigation) R Vidyasagar Rao, Chief Engineer (Inter State & Water Resources) S Narasimha Rao and a few other officials of the Irrigation Department have already reached Delhi along with legal experts who argued the State’s case with demand for re-allocation of the river water among four States as per Section 89 of the AP Reorganization Act.

Publication of the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal report in the gazette was stayed by combined AP government on the grounds that injustice was done to the State in allocation of water to AP after the dependability was brought down to 65 per cent by the tribunal against 75 per cent in Bachawat Tribunal award (KWDT-I). After formation of Telangana, the State government also impleaded in the case. Based on the directions of the Supreme Court, the Brijesh Kumar tribunal heard the stand of the four riparian States afresh over the last one year, in which both AP and Telangana argued for re-allocation of water among four States as there were only three States when the report was submitted to the Centre.

The two States argued that injustice was done to them compared to the two upper riparian States. “We have argued that injustice was done to it even in combined AP as 63.14 per cent water was allocated to the basin area in Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra in AP and 36.86 per cent to Telangana against the catchment areas of 32 per cent and 68 per cent, respectively”, Mr. Vidyasagar Rao explained. Thus, 512 TMC ft of water was given to AP and only 299 TMC ft to Telangana out of 811 TMC ft allocation of surplus water by Bachawat Tribunal.

The Telangana side has also argued that it should get fair amount of water, nearly 200 TMC ft more, if the injustice related to catchment area and water share is undone. Further, it has demanded allocation of 90 TMC ft water in lieu of diversion of Godavari water to Krishna basin through Polavaram and Pattiseema projects and also argued that about 350 TMC ft water was being diverted to other basins by AP.