Crucial meeting on May 7 on Krishna river water sharing

The Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II award, delivered way back in December 2010, has fuelled intense legal battles, rather than bringing resolution to the complex inter-State water sharing disputes.

The meeting of Irrigation Ministers from the Krishna basin States convened by the Ministry of Jal Shakti on May 7 is intended to facilitate gazette publication of the award and putting in place a stable water-sharing framework for the next two-and-half decades. But the conflict situation is unlikely to fade if the demand for an equitable share of water is not fulfilled.

Following the formation of Telangana in 2014, the Tribunal’s scope expanded in 2023 (with the issue of further terms of reference) to the water-sharing disputes between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. A key issue is project-wise allocations from the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh’s share of 811 TMC under KWDT-I and additional allocations. The tribunal is currently deliberating on these disputes, with a revised deadline set for July 31,



2025.

Telangana’s demand for a 70 per cent share is based on basin area conflicts with Andhra Pradesh’s reliance on the existing 512:299 TMC allocation. Karnataka and Maharashtra also have stakes in protecting their shares, which could lead to a deadlock if concessions are not made.

Decades of disputes, including Telangana’s claims of neglect under the undivided Andhra Pradesh and its accusations of unauthorised water use by Andhra Pradesh have eroded trust on each other.

The KWDT-II award divided the Krishna river’s water based on a 65 per cent dependability threshold, derived from 47 years of water flow data. The allocation granted 1,001 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) to Andhra Pradesh, 911 TMC to Karnataka and 666 TMC to Maharashtra, with a total dependable yield of 2,293 TMC. The previous KWDT-I ruling allowed Andhra Pradesh to utilise surplus water without formal claims, KWDT-II assessed surplus flow at 285 TMC and redistributed it among all three States.