Water dispute between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana

The story: Andhra Pradesh complained to the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) about the drawing of water from the Srisailam project by Telangana f

Water dispute between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana

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• The story: Andhra Pradesh complained to the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) about the drawing of water from the Srisailam project by Telangana for power generation. The KRMB, in its recent orders, had asked Telangana to stop power generation, but defiance of orders by Telangana Government has raised some serious questions.
• The dispute: Telangana and Andhra Pradesh share stretches of the Krishna and the Godavari and own their tributaries, and both have proposed several new projects without getting clearance from the river boards, the Central Water Commission and the Apex Council, as mandated by the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014.

1. The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 mandates the constitution of an Apex Council by the Central Government for the supervision of the functioning of the Godavari River Management Board and Krishna River Management Board.
2. The Apex Council comprises the Union Water Resources Minister and the Chief Ministers of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
3. The AP government’s proposal to increase the utilisation of the Krishna water from a section of the river above the Srisailam Reservoir led to the Telangana government filing a complaint against Andhra Pradesh.
4. The Srisailam reservoir is constructed across the Krishna River in Andhra Pradesh, in the Nallamala hills.
5. The Andhra Pradesh government retaliated with its own complaints saying that Palamuru-Rangareddy, Dindi Lift Irrigation Schemes on the Krishna river and Kaleshwaram, Tupakulagudem schemes and a few barrages proposed across the Godavari are all new projects.

• Inter-State river water disputes: The Article 262 of the Constitution provides for the adjudication of inter-state water disputes. The Parliament may by law provide for the adjudication of any dispute or complaint with respect to the use, distribution and control of waters of any inter-state river and river valley. Parliament may also provide that neither the Supreme Court nor any other court is to exercise jurisdiction in respect of any such dispute or complaint.
• Two laws: The Parliament has enacted the two laws, the River Boards Act (1956) and the Inter-State Water Disputes Act (1956).

1. The River Boards Act provides for the establishment of river boards by the Central government for the regulation and development of inter-state river and river valleys. A River Board is established on the request of state governments concerned to advise them.
2. The Inter-State Water Disputes Act empowers the Central government to set up an ad hoc tribunal for the adjudication of a dispute between two or more states in relation to the waters of an inter-state river or river valley. The decision of the tribunal is final and binding on the parties to the dispute. Neither the Supreme Court nor any other court is to have jurisdiction in respect of any water dispute which may be referred to such a tribunal under this Act.

• Godavari and Krishna rivers: The Godavari rises from Trimbakeshwar near Nasik in Maharashtra and flows for a length of about 1465 km before outfalling into the Bay of Bengal. Its basin extends over states of Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha in addition to smaller parts in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Union territory of Puducherry. The Krishna originates near Mahabaleshwar (Satara) in Maharashtra. It is the second biggest river in peninsular India after the Godavari River. It runs from four states Maharashtra (303 km), North Karnataka (480 km) and the rest of its 1300 km journey in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh before it empties into the Bay of Bengal. Tributaries of Godavari include Pravara, Purna, Manjra, Penganga, Wardha, Wainganga, Pranhita (combined flow of Wainganga, Penganga, Wardha), Indravati, Maner and the Sabri. Tributaries of Krishna include Tungabhadra, Mallaprabha, Koyna, Bhima, Ghataprabha, Yerla, Warna, Dindi, Musi and Dudhganga.

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