Jal Shakti meeting with Irrigation Ministers of Krishna basin States put off

The meeting convened by Union Ministry for Jal Shakti on Wednesday to discuss the gazette notification of the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II (KWDT-II) award has been postponed

Hyderabad: The meeting convened by Union Ministry for Jal Shakti on Wednesday (May 7) to discuss the gazette notification of the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II (KWDT-II) award has been postponed. While official reasons for the delay remain undisclosed, multiple factors have reportedly contributed to the decision.

Legal challenges involved in the process for gazette notification of the tribunal award need to be addressed first on priority before holding such a dialogue with the states.

The KWDT-II award has faced prolonged delays in gazette notification due to a Supreme Court stay order from September 16, 2011, following Andhra Pradesh’s Special Leave Petition (SLP) challenging the tribunal’s 2010 decision.

Besides this, Andhra Pradesh’s writ petition filed in 2023 against the Centre’s October 6, 2023, gazette notification on additional terms of reference for KWDT-II also necessitated further legal consultations before the meeting could proceed, according to officials.

The meeting aimed to build consensus among the four Krishna basin states- Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana – on implementing the KWDT-II award. Telangana’s demand for a 50:50 water share has faced opposition from Andhra Pradesh complicating negotiations. Karnataka, in particular, has been pushing for the gazette notification to utilize its allocated 173 TMC ft, while Telangana and Andhra Pradesh continue to dispute allocations.

Telangana has been contending that it was not a party to earlier KWDT adjudications and seeks a fresh allocation under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014. The state’s formal complaints and the Centre’s 2023 reference to KWDT-II for reallocating water between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh required additional time for procedural clarity, contributing to the postponement, they added.

A way out to resolved legal challenges in the Supreme Court, and the need to align the positions of the four states to facilitate meaningful progress on the gazette notification is the need of the hour . The stakeholders are expected to help resolve the hurdles before reconvening the meeting.

A way out to resolved legal challenges in the Supreme Court, and the need to align the positions of the four states to facilitate meaningful progress on the gazette notification is the need of the hour . The stakeholders are expected to help resolve the hurdles before reconvening the meeting.

A way out to resolved legal challenges in the Supreme Court, and the need to align the positions of the four states to facilitate meaningful progress on the gazette notification is the need of the hour . The stakeholders are expected to help resolve the hurdles before reconvening the meeting.