The Hindu : Karnataka sends positive signals on Alamatti

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Oct 12, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

Karnataka sends positive signals on Alamatti

By Our Special Correspondent

Hyderabad Oct. 11. The Karnataka Government has responded positively reponse to the Andhra Pradesh plea for release of Krishna waters from the Alamatti dam for drinking purpose in drought-affected districts.

The A. P Chief Secretary, Sathi Nair, received a letter on Wednesday from her Karnataka counterpart asking her to work out details of the plan for utilisation of the waters and depute the Principal Sercretary for Irrigation (J. Harinarayana) to Bangalore with that schedule for discussions with the Karnataka official of the same rank (Abhay Prakash).

Andhra Pradesh officials are busy working out the details of the plan drafted to ensure drinking water supply up to next June to identify affected areas in Guntur, Prakasam, Nalgonda, Khammam and Krishna districts, all coming under the Nagarjunasagar canal system. Discussions are on to fix the date but the Bangalore visit may come about only after the present turmoil over Cauvery waters is over.

It may be noted that the AP Chief Secretary's letter was preceded by a similar one by the Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, to his Karnataka counterpart S. M. Krishna.

Information available with the Irrigation Department shows that the Alamatti dam has a storage of 125 tmcft right now -- almost up to its brim. Compared to this, Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar, two major Krishna-based projects in Andhra Pradesh which have become lifeline of the State by meeting drinking water and irrigation needs, have only 54 tmcft and 186 tmcft respectively. Most of these quantums, however, go under "dead storage'' from which nothing can be drawn by gravitation.

Under the circumstances, Andhra Pradesh is seeking release of 45 tmcft from Alamatti to feed Srisailam which, in turn, can discharge the same to Nagarjunasagar. Out of this, 8 to 10 tmcft is purposed to go as evaporation loss before the waters reach Srisailam. Of the remaining quantum, a part once again goes as transmission loss before the waters reach the targeted areas/reservoirs.

According to the present plan, Almatti waters are to serve seven public health tanks, 244 rural water schemes and 225 minor irrigation tanks which, by link-ups, serve several villages, and three balancing reservoirs --Buggavagu, Vemulapalli and Palair.

Andhra Pradesh wants to compensate the loss suffered by Karnataka by generating power with the same waters at Srisailam and providing the same to that State. Andhra Pradesh is already supplying about 60 MW to Karnataka out of its grid through the commercial channel.

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