The Chief Minister of Telangana in meeting with the Union Jal Shakti minister has urged the centre to allocate a fair share of Krishna River water to Telangana

About the Dispute

• Present Allocation: The Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) has allocated 66 per cent water to Andhra Pradesh and only 34 per cent to Telangana.
• Demand:
  • Fair Allocation: Telangana demands 70 per cent of the Krishna River water to be allocated to the State proportionate to the 70 per cent river’s basin falling in the State, while only 30 per cent is in Andhra Pradesh.
    • It also demanded decisions on irrigation projects in Andhra Pradesh should be calculated against Telangana’s net water share of the Godavari river.
  • Monitor Utilization: To install telemetry machines to monitor utilisation of water from the Krishna river projects
  • Expedite Permissions: Necessary permissions should be granted from the Central Water Commission (CWC) and Technical Advisory Council (TAC) for the Palamuru-Ranga Reddy lift scheme, Sitarama lift, and the Sammakka Sagar barrage.
  • Financial Assistance: Ensure adequate financial assistance for multiple irrigation schemes under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) and PMRP 2024
    • Interest free loans to Telangana for 50 years under infrastructure development to finance irrigation projects.
  • Central Support: The chief minister has sought support for the construction of the Pranahita-Chevella project at Tummidihetti

About Krishna River

• The Krishna River in the Deccan plateau is the third-longest river in India, after the Ganga and Godavari.
  • It is the fourth-largest in terms of water inflows and river basin area in India
• Origin: The Krishna River originates in Western Ghats at an elevation of about 1337 m north of Mahabaleshwar hills in Maharashtra.
• Area: Krishna Basin extends over an area of 258,948 square kilometres (99,980 sq mi) in total making nearly 8% of the total geographical area of the country. 
  • River Basin States:This large basin lies in the states of Karnataka (113,271 km2), Telangana, Andhra Pradesh (76,252 km2) and Maharashtra (69,425 km2)
• Principal Tributaries: The Krishna River has 13 major tributaries
  • Example: Ghataprabha, the Malaprabha, the Bhima, , Panchganga, the Tungabhadra and the Musi.
• Highest Point: Mullayanagiri peak, in Karnataka, is the highest point (1,930 m) of the Krishna basin.
• Protected Areas: Major protected Areas located in the Krishna basin are,
  • Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve; Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary; Ghataprabha Bird Sanctuary; Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary; Kudremukh National Park