Date:01/12/2003 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2003/12/01/stories/2003120104220400.htm

Southern States - Karnataka

Tussle over future of Tungabhadra Board likely

By M. Madan Mohan

HUBLI Nov. 30. The future of the Tungabhadra Board, an inter-State body managing the Tungabhadra project, is likely to emerge as a bone of contention between Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, which are involved in a prolonged tussle over sharing waters in the Krishna Basin.

The Tungabhadra Board is a four-member body comprising the nominees of the Governments of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh and the Union Ministry of Water Resources, and an official of the Central Water Commission who functions as the Chairman. It was formed for managing the sharing of the river waters in the right bank canal which serves the two States. The Left Bank canal area, which serves Karnataka exclusively, has been kept out of the purview of the board and is under the control of the State Government.

The question about the future of the board came up when the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal (KWDT) headed by Justice Bachawat was looking into a gamut of issues. The tribunal had permitted the board to continue till another was formed.

Karnataka's made it clear to the KWDT that it favoured the abolition of the board. But Andhra Pradesh wants the board to continue and its scope to be expanded to cover the catchment areas of the Tungabhadra Project. This view was expressed at the regional seminar on the management of inter-State river projects held earlier this month under the auspices of the board.

Andhra Pradesh has opposed Karnataka executing works upstream of the river, such as the Singatalur Lift Irrigation and Upper Tunga project, as it fears this will affect storage in the dam. This is despite the repeated assertions by Karnataka that the apprehensions were baseless and the two projects would only utilise its share of water under the Bachawat Tribunal's recommendations.

The latest tussle between the two States is over the availability of water in the reservoir, which is decreasing because of silt. Andhra Pradesh wants a parallel canal constructed to draw more water to compensate for the quantity lost due to low storage. Karnataka wants the height of the dam raised to store more water. The States have not reached an agreement.

The stand of key officials of the board, who appear to endorse the views of Andhra Pradesh that the scope of functioning of the board should be enlarged, has come as a surprise. The stand was articulated among others by Sivadas, Secretary of the board, in a paper presented at the regional seminar.

But officials from Karnataka point out that the issue was not raised at any meeting of the board. The possibility of Andhra Pradesh doing so is not ruled out.