Telangana Seeks 750 Cusecs Daily for Hyderabad’s Drinking Water Needs

A crucial meeting of the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) was held on Monday (May 5). While irrigation officials from Andhra Pradesh were reportedly absent, Telangana Engineer-in-Chief (ENC) Anil Kumar requested the release of 750 cusecs of water for Hyderabad and 300 cusecs for Khammam to meet daily drinking water needs.

Additionally, Telangana urged the Board to direct Andhra Pradesh to refrain from pumping water from the Nagarjuna Sagar reservoir before it reaches the dead storage level of 510 feet.

Prior to the meeting, Andhra Pradesh had written to the KRMB, seeking the release of 10 TMC of water from the right canal of Nagarjuna Sagar for drinking needs until May 31. Telangana had earlier submitted an indent on April 17, requesting 16.2 TMC of water.

Irrigation officials from Telangana raised concerns that Andhra Pradesh’s demand for additional water could trigger a drinking water crisis in the State.

As per the agreed water-sharing ratio, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana must share Krishna River water in a 66:34 ratio. However, Andhra Pradesh has reportedly utilized 72.2 TMC of water—significantly more than its allocated share.

Highlighting these issues during the KRMB meeting, ENC Anil Kumar called for the Board’s immediate intervention to ensure equitable water distribution between the two States.