Krishna board’s full meeting on 26 October to take up water sharing and Srisailam drawals

The Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) will hold its 21st board meeting at Jalasoudha in Hyderabad at 11 am on 26 October, with Andhra Pradesh and Telangana still far apart on how the river’s water should be used this year. The meeting will be chaired by the board’s chairman, and both states’ secretaries and senior irrigation engineers are expected to attend.

Why a full board meeting

The board had planned to meet on 1 October, but that meeting was postponed. In the meantime, three-member committee meetings on water use were held on 24 August and 4 October. The two states did not reach agreement there, so the matter now goes to the full board.

Each water year runs from 1 June to 31 May, and the states are expected to settle how the shared reservoirs will be used through an agreement that needs a full board meeting. The board did not hold one earlier this season.

What is on the agenda

• Distribution of Krishna water between the two states, including the ratio of use.
• Operation of common projects and project approvals.
• Reservoir levels, future requirements and releases.
• Complaints and objections from both states over water use and power generation.
• Funds that both states owe towards the board’s upkeep.

Andhra Pradesh’s position

Andhra Pradesh officials plan to raise Telangana’s alleged excess drawal of Krishna water from the Srisailam reservoir. They also intend to object to the operation of pumps under Phase I of the Palamuru-Rangareddy lift irrigation scheme and to seek a halt to construction of other lift schemes on the river.

Andhra Pradesh is also expected to repeat its earlier demands: moving the board’s headquarters from Hyderabad to Amaravati, issuing water-release orders for both states, and handing over major components of common projects to the board. The state holds that Krishna water should be shared 66:34 with Telangana. The board has not yet finalised a sharing arrangement of its own.

Godavari board next

The Godavari River Management Board will hold its 18th meeting on 30 October. Both boards are also expected to discuss the contributions the two states still owe towards their running costs.

Whether the Krishna board can bridge the gap on sharing will be clear only after the meeting. Without an agreed arrangement for the water year, the two states are likely to keep trading allegations over drawals from the shared reservoirs.