YSR Congress party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday told the Centre that his government had taken up Rayalaseema lift irrigation scheme as it had no other option to draw its legitimate share of Krishna waters.
In a fresh later to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Jagan said the illegal construction of projects by the Telangana government and the unauthorised drawal of Krishna water for power generation would result in depletion of water in Srisailam reservoir.
He pointed out that Andhra Pradesh depended so far solely on gravity flows above +854 ft at Pothireddypadu Head Regulator.
“We will not be able to draw water at full discharge of 44.000 cusecs unless a level of +881 ft is reached. In the present circumstances, it is impossible to maintain water level to that extent,” he said.
Jagan expressed apprehensive that if Telangana continues to go ahead with a series of illegal projects and illegal and unauthorised drawing water for power generation violating the norms, protocols and directions of KRMB, there will not be any water left in Srisailam reservoir.
Therefore, Andhra Pradesh is left with no option but to go for Rayalaseema Lift Scheme to supplement 3 TMC per day to the existing projects i.e. TGP, SRBC, GNSS and Drinking water to Chennai City from a level of +800 ft, as Telangana is not allowing water levels to be built upto +854 ft.
“Andhra Pradesh will be able draw full discharge capacity of 44,000 cusecs through Pothireddypadu Regulator from Srisailam Reservoir only under water level reaches +881 ft. Since it is not possible to maintain the level, it is taking up Rayalaseema scheme, so that it can draw its due share of water even at 800 ft,” Jagan said.
He reiterated that Andhra Pradesh was neither creating any new ayacut nor any new canal nor new storage under the Rayalaseema Lift Scheme.
“It is only to draw water at a level of +800 ft connecting to the existing canal system to meet the drinking and irrigation needs of the chronically drought prone areas of Rayalaseema, SPSR Nellore and Prakasam districts well within its allocations of 512 TMC,” the chief minister added.
He asked the Prime Minister to take steps to notify the jurisdiction of KRMB immediately and keep all the offtakes which include water for irrigation, power and drinking water on common reservoirs of both the states under the control of Central Industrial Security Forces.
