Sudershan Reddy counters CM Kiran, says there won't be water wars

Major Irrigation Minister P Sudershan Reddy on Tuesday dismissed Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy's claim that division of the state would lead to water wars. There will be no water wars.

"As the irrigation minister, I am saying that there will not be any problem with regard to sharing of river water. I am not concerned about what others say," Sudershan Reddy told mediapersons in Hyderabad today.
All systems were in place to ensure that no problem arose over sharing of water, he said. The Centre will appoint a committee to decide on water sharing between the two states. There is scope for efficient water management, Reddy, who hails from Telangana, said. If at all any problem cropped up, a Board would be constituted to sort it out, the minister said, referring to the Tungabhadra Board that was set up decades ago to settle water dispute between Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
He also pointed out that nobody has the right to reduce the allocated share of water to any state.
While strongly opposing the proposed bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, the Chief Minister recently feared it could lead to water wars as Rayalaseema and parts of coastal Andhra would be deprived of water from river Krishna. Unless there is a flood, these regions will not get water and lakhs of acres of agricultural land will go dry. There will also be no water to drink, the CM said last week. However, the Major Irrigation Minister said while coastal Andhra region was allocated 367.34 tmc ft of assured water and 43.50 tmc ft of excess water, Rayalaseema got 144.70 tmc ft and 107 tmc ft and Telangana received 298.96 tmc ft and 77 tmc ft. Every year, about 2,500 tmc ft of water from Godavari is being wasted into the sea. We can save this by completing the numerous ongoing irrigation projects and ensure proportional distribution of water in different regions.
Similarly, 500 tmc ft of water from Krishna is also being wasted which can be saved once projects  including Pulichintala are completed, Sudershan Reddy said. "I want to assure farmers of East and West Godavari districts that there will be no water problem whatsoever for irrigation. In fact, there can be efficient water management," he said.