Date:23/07/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/07/23/stories/2004072307060600.htm

Andhra Pradesh

PM urged to take up water issue with Karnataka

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, JULY 22. An all-party delegation from Andhra Pradesh today urged the Centre to intervene and request Karnataka to release 50 tmcft of water from the Alamatti reservoir to provide succour to the people of the State.

The delegation, led by the Chief Minister, Y. S. Rajashekhara Reddy, and the former Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, met the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, and said that the people were facing acute drinking water problem and farmers were in distress due to lack of water for irrigation.

In a seven-page memorandum submitted to the Prime Minister, the delegation said drinking water supplies to villages and towns in the districts of Krishna, Guntur, West Godavari, Nalgonda, Khammam and Prakasam under the Nagarjunasagar project and Prakasam barrage and the districts of Kurnool and Cuddapah under the Srisailam project which cater to over 10 million people and several millions of livestock had been affected.

Farmers under the command areas of Srisailam, Nagarjunasagar and Prakasam barrage, who were solely dependent on Krishna flows, had been crippled by the poor inflows. The memorandum said Alamatti and Narayanapur reservoirs put together had a gross storage capacity of 160 TMC. The present storage of water in Alamatti was 103 tmcft and at Narayanpur 34 tmcft.

Under Upper Krishna Complex i.e. Alamatti, Narayanpur and Hipargi, the memorandum said, it was understood that the infrastructure developed so far had the potential to irrigate 4 lakh hectares. "Keeping in view the present status of the project, it could hardly be 100 tmcft. This can be met from storage of 70 tmcft. Thus, the Government of Karnataka can spare additional water of the Krishna to an extent of 67 tmcft to Andhra Pradesh. This may be considered in view of the deficit water year when Andhra Pradesh is facing acute shortage of water compounded with drought conditions for the fourth consecutive year,'' the memorandum said.

The delegation said that the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh had already requested his Karnataka counterpart for release of water from Alamatti reservoir and the State Minister for Major Irrigation had met the Karnataka Chief Minister on July 6 and apprised him of the precarious situation personally.

Meets Dasmunshi

They sought to impress upon the Government that unless water was released immediately, farmers would lose one crop. Besides the two State leaders, the delegation consisted of the Union Minister, A. Narendra (TRS), the Major Irrigation Minister, Ponnala Lakshmaiah, N. Indrasena Reddy (BJP), B.V. Raghavulu (CPI-M), Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy (CPI), Lalaiah (BSP), Assadudin Owaisi (AIMIM), Komireddi Ramulu (Janata) and others.

Later addressing a news conference, the Chief Minister said: "It is not our claim that Karnataka has illegally impounded assured water. We are requesting it to consider our case on humanitarian grounds. Karnataka has water that it cannot use because of lack of an irrigation system."

Dr. Reddy said the Prime Minister assured the delegation that he would take up the issue with Karnataka and respond to the request made by Andhra Pradesh.

Naidu's plea to Sonia

In a separate press conference, the Telugu Desam Party chief, N. Chandrababu Naidu, suggested that the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, should call a meeting of the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka since both belonged to the same party and sort out the issue.

Asked in what capacity could Ms. Gandhi call an official meeting of the Chief Ministers, he said that she could do so as Chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance and the National Advisory Council overseeing implementation of the National Common Minimum Programme.