Telangana leaders making unnecessary ruckus over utilisation of flood waters by A.P., says Minister Nimmala Ramanaidu

Minister for Water Resources Nimmala Ramanaidu. File

The Telangana leaders were making unnecessary ruckus over the irrigation projects in Andhra Pradesh for their own political survival, A.P. Water Resources Minister Nimmala Ramanaidu remarked. They were levelling baseless allegations  against A.P. even though the plans were solely for utilising excess water that would otherwise flow into the sea.

The Minister’s remarks comes in the wake of Telangana government’s recent appeal to Union Jal Sakthi Ministry against irrigation projects in Andhra Pradesh. 

In a statement on Thursday, Mr. Ramanaidu pointed out that Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu always worked for the benefit of Telugu people. Everyone knew that Mr. Naidu protested and got arrested during the construction of an illegal project by Maharashtra on river Godavari before bifurcation of A.P. Mr. Naidu always strives for the well being of people in both Telugu States, the Minister said.

Mr. Ramanaidu clarified that there was no truth in allegations that Andhra Pradesh is diverting 10,000 cusecs of water daily. A.P. was utilizing the water allocated to it as part of its legal share. According to the Krishna Tribunal, Andhra Pradesh is entitled to 512 TMCft out of the 811 TMCft of available water, while Telangana receives 299 TMCft, he said.

In the year 2024-25, around 1,600 TMCft of floodwater flowed into the Srisailam reservoir. Out of this, 871 TMCft of water flowed into sea from the Prakasam Barrage. Instead of letting these floodwaters flow into the sea, Andhra Pradesh can utilise the excess water to benefit drought-prone regions like Rayalaseema and fluoride-affected areas in Prakasam district. In the past two years, due to a lack of water in the Krishna River, crop holidays had to be declared under the Krishna Delta and Nagarjuna Sagar Right Canal, he said.

Incidentally, A.P. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, at party’s meeting couple of days ago,  asserted that Andhra Pradesh’s strategy was to salvage water draining into the sea. Reminding that he never opposed Telangana’s Kaleshwaram project, Mr. Naidu said when water draining into the sea is taken to a famine-hit region, nobody should feel bad.