On Tuesday, the Telangana government petitioned the chairman of the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) to prevent Andhra Pradesh from illegally dumping tunnel waste in the Srisailam reservoir.
It was also recommended that the Board acquire comprehensive details from AP after viewing the site urgently in order to make an accurate assessment, and it took appropriate action in this regard.
In his letter, Telangana Engineer-in-Chief for Irrigation C Muralidhar referenced a news story published by a Telugu vernacular newspaper claiming that the contractor of the Veligonda project was illegally dumping freshly excavated tunnel waste into the Srisailam reservoir during the night hours.
The waste was purportedly generated by the Veligonda project tunnel construction from Kothuru, Dornal mandal in Prakasam district and was dumped along the banks of the Krishna River towards the right bank of Srisailam. Thousands of tonnes of garbage have been thrown into the reservoir over several days, according to the report.
The Telangana government voiced concern that the waste dumping will further affect the already dwindling water storage capacity of the Srisailam reservoir. The combination of such hazardous waste containing explosive compounds may have an impact on agricultural and drinking water requirements.
Muralidhar urged the KRMB to take the appropriate steps to prohibit the agency and the Andhra Pradesh government from engaging in such illegal actions and to visit the location as soon as possible for a proper assessment.
The two Telugu states have irrigation projects that rely on the Krishna river, and as a result, the water body has been a source of controversy since Telangana’s establishment in 2014.
Telangana has been requesting a larger share since 2018. The KRMB conducted a meeting in August 2021 to discuss numerous topics with officials from both sides, but it ended in a stalemate.
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