AMARAVATI: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, on Monday, has written separate letters to Union Ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Prakash Javadekar over the illegal water projects by the State of Telangana and the environmental clearance for the Rayalseema Lift Irrigation Scheme.
The Chief Minister in his letter to the Jal Shakthi Ministry stated that the State of Telangana continues to unilaterally operate hydel power generation from Nagarjuna Sagar Project without placing indent before KRMB and in violation of the protocol for water drawals. Even from Pulichintala Project which is a balancing reservoir intended for stabilization of the existing Krishna Delta System, the State of Telangana unilaterally continues to draw water for power generation although there is no indent raised by the competent authority i.e. Superintending Engineer, IC, Vijayawada and without taking any release orders from KRMB, he stated in his letter. This water is being wasted due to surplusing over the Prakasam barrage to the Bay of Bengal. As such it was already requested that the KRMB may be directed to account for all these unauthorised drawals by Telangana against the agreed allocations of 299 TMC to Telangana State.

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In his second letter, YS Jagan wrote to the Minister of Environment and had sought the Environmental Clearance for the Rayalaseema Lift Scheme which is proposed to supplement the existing irrigation projects namely, TGP, SRBC, GNSS, KC Canal, and Drinking water to Chennai City having an allocation of 111 TMC in KWDT-I to be drawn through Pothireddypadu Head Regulator from a level of +854 ft and above. YS Jagan stated that Telangana was not allowing water levels to be built up in the Srisailam reservoir and they have utilised 19 TMC out of 26 TMC of inflows from 01-06-202 1 for power generation as it is drawing water at 796 ft itself.
Unless a level of +854 ft is reached water cannot be drawn through gravity from Pothireddypadu to meet drinking, irrigation needs of the chronically drought-prone Rayalaseema region, SPSR Nellore, Prakasam districts, and also to supply drinking water to Chennai city. HE also spoke about the number of uanauthorised irrigation projects of Telangana like Palamuru Rangareddy LIS and Dindi LIS which are being constructed at 800 ft level without Environmental Clearance (EC), which will make it very difficult for the reservoir levels to be built up above +854 ft and will not allow AP to draw the allocated quantities.