In a major setback to the state, the Krishna Water Tribunal on Wednesday rejected the plea by the state government for a resurvey of the Alamatti Dam height.
Delivering his verdict, the Tribunal chairman Justice Brijesh Kumar said that a resurvey of the dam's height would not be possible at this stage, and advised the 3 states claiming rights over the waters of the Krishna river to settle the dispute through negotiations.
The state government had filed the petition before the Tribunal, accusing the Karnataka government of depriving the rightful share of waters of Andhra Pradesh by raising the dam beyond the previously agreed height.
The state government had claimed that the Alamatti Dam's height has been raised beyond the previously agreed on 519.6 metres, and that a resurvey would prove this claim correct.
The state had also pointed out that Karnataka was utilising an additional 11 TMC of water due to the illegal raising of the dam's height.
Meanwhile, Major Irrigation Minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah said that the state government will appeal against the Tribunal's verdict in the Supreme Court, and expressed confidence of justice being done by the Apex Court.