The Andhra Pradesh government has urged the Union Jal Shakti Ministry to halt new irrigation projects being taken up by Telangana on the Krishna River. Telangana issued a GO on September 16 to prepare DPRs for 16 new projects in Nalgonda, Mahabubnagar, Ranga Reddy, Warangal and Khammam districts. AP officials say the Centre has not cleared these works. They also stated that Telangana initiated 42 new projects after the state bifurcation.
AP’s Water Resources Department wrote that projects need approval from the CWC, Apex Council and KRMB. The department asked the Centre to stop any new construction until all permissions are completed. Officials claim that these new works may affect AP’s share of Krishna water. They therefore requested the Centre not to grant any approvals for now.
Sources say AP informed the Centre that its interests may face harm if Telangana moves ahead. They also stated that AP expects the Centre to issue clear instructions soon. An official statement from AP is yet to be released.
If the letter is officially confirmed, political circles are keen to see how Telangana will respond. Observers expect the issue to become a major inter-state matter.
