Telangana is pushing hard for its fair share of Krishna River waters, claiming almost 70% of what used to go to the old united Andhra Pradesh. Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy shared these details during a media briefing in New Delhi on Tuesday, as hearings resumed at the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II (KWDT-II).
Reddy, who’s personally showing up for the tribunal sessions, said the case is in its final stretch. Telangana started laying out its closing arguments back in February and has been at it for months. A top lawyer, S. Vaidyanathan, is handling the details, with three full days set aside for the state’s pitch.
“It’s pretty rare for an irrigation minister to sit through these hearings like this,” Reddy noted. He added that the Congress-led government in Telangana is dead serious about fixing what he calls years of unfair treatment since the state split from Andhra Pradesh in 2014.
To give some background, the tribunal once gave united Andhra Pradesh a total of 1,005 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) of Krishna waters. That broke down to 811 TMC at 75% dependability, 49 TMC at 65%, and 145 TMC from average flows. They also got 45 TMC from Godavari River diversions, plus the green light to tap any extra water beyond averages.
Now, Telangana wants a new deal based on solid factors like catchment area, population in the basin, drought-hit zones, and farmland. Their ask? 555 TMC from the 75% dependable supply, 43 TMC from the 65%, 120 TMC from averages, and all 45 TMC from Godavari shifts. That adds up to 763 TMC of reliable water for Telangana, on top of full access to any surplus flows.
Reddy emphasized these numbers come from science-backed, fair-sharing rules used worldwide for river disputes. No random guesses here.
He took a swipe at Andhra Pradesh, accusing them of planning to divert a big chunk of their 811 TMC share outside the Krishna basin. Telangana is urging the tribunal to block that and push Andhra Pradesh toward other water sources instead. “The saved water should go to our dry areas in the basin,” Reddy said. “We won’t let another state grab our rightful piece while shipping water away.”
Telangana is also staking a strong claim to use all leftover Krishna waters above average flows, seeing it as a way to right old wrongs from the united Andhra days.
On another front, Reddy slammed Karnataka’s plan to raise the Almatti Dam’s height, saying it would hurt Telangana’s water supply. The state vows to fight it in the Supreme Court. “We’re drawing a hard line—no moves that cut our share,” he declared. “We’ll head to the top court to stop Karnataka from raising that dam.”
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