All-party delegation meets PM on KWDT-11

An all-party delegation from Andhra Pradesh met Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh here on Friday seeking his intervention on the State's sharing of Krishna River Water.

The delegation led by Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister over the recent award of the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal (KWDT) II headed by Justice (Retd) Brijesh Kumar. Seeking justice for the State, the delegation explained to the Prime Minister how the award by KWDT II would deprive Andhra Pradesh of its right to use surplus water.

The delegation sought the Prime Minister's immediate intervention on the issue and claimed that tribunal tried to distribute even surplus waters while altering the parameters that were being adopted for measuring dependability and availability.

The tribunal set up in 2004, in its interim decision announced in 2010, distributed water up to average flows of 2,578 Thousand Million Cubic (TMC), notwithstanding the national norm of 75 percent dependability. It also permitted Karnataka to raise the height of Almatti Dam.

The State Government is also preparing to challenge the final award in the Supreme Court and therefore, seeking the Centre's intervention.