Major Irrigation Minister P Sudharshan Reddy dismissed Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy's claims on possible "water wars" between Telangana and Seemandhra after the division of Andhra Pradesh.
Talking to reporters on Tuesday, Sudarshan Reddy said that the predictions of "water wars" were not based on facts. He said that there were set procedures and regulatory bodies to resolve the water-sharing disputes (if they arise) between the two states.
Citing an example, he said that districts of the Rayalaseema region have been receiving 93 TMC of water every year after Karnataka releases it from Tungabhadra River.
"As the irrigation minister, I can say that there will not be any problem with regard to sharing of river water," Sudarshan Reddy said. Speaking about the sharing of Krishna river's waters, he said, "Coastal Andhra already has an allocation of 367.34 TMC of assured water, and 43.50 TMC of excess water. Rayalaseema gets 144.70 TMC and 107 TMC, and Telangana receives 298.96 TMC, and 77 TMC."
The minister said that steps could be taken to save about 2500 TMC of Godavari water, which was going waste into the sea, by completing the ongoing irrigation projects. He added that this water could be distributed proportionately among different regions. Similarly, 500 TMC of water from Krishna River could be saved and utilised, he opined. (INN)
filed in:Water Issues, Krishna River, N Kiran Kumar Reddy, Telangana Formation, Water Projects