Water Wars: Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Clash Over Krishna River Rights

In a pivotal meeting facilitated by the Union Jal Shakti Ministry, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Andhra Pradesh counterpart N Chandrababu Naidu will converge in New Delhi to deliberate on the contentious issue of Krishna river water sharing. This assembly, slated for 2:30 pm on Wednesday, signifies attempts to mollify escalating tensions spurred by Andhra Pradesh's Polavaram-Banakacherla project announcement.

In anticipation, Telangana's Irrigation Minister Capt. N. Uttam Kumar Reddy vehemently criticized the former BRS government's handling of water issues, accusing them of augmenting Andhra Pradesh's water diversion at Telangana's expense. His accusations encompass claims of unauthorized infrastructural developments facilitating water diversion from the Srisailam reservoir, accentuated by two detailed PowerPoint presentations outlining financial mismanagement and engineering failures.

The Congress government positions itself in stark opposition, with Revanth Reddy demanding a recalibration of the historical water-sharing formula. In a letter to the Union Jal Shakti Minister, he called for a revised share based on equitable basin parameters, spotlighting the state's long-standing grievances. As deliberations proceed before the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II, Telangana commits to backing their stand with compelling legal and technical assertions.

(With inputs from agencies.)