YSR Congress Party president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.
The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president and former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy emphasised the importance of the State’s upcoming presentation before the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II (KWDT-II) and cautioned that Telangana’s demand for 763 TMC of dependable Krishna water poses a serious threat to Andhra Pradesh’s long-standing water rights.
In a detailed letter addressed to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu dated November 19 (released to the media on Friday), he cautioned that if the Tribunal accepts Telangana’s request, Andhra Pradesh would face severe injustice, impacting irrigation, drinking water supply, and the overall water security of the State. The A.P. government has to present strong and comprehensive final arguments to safeguard the State’s rightful share, he said.
The former Chief Minister pointed out that when the tribunal hearings are ongoing, the Telangana government brought G.O. MS No. 34, dated September 16, 2025, vide which the government’s intent of creating additional offline and online reservoirs has become amply clear. The government, through the executive order, accorded permission to take up DPR preparation with respect to schemes to augment existing and ongoing projects on the Krishna river in Telangana.
Further, the same day, the Council of Ministers of the Karnataka government decided to provide clearance for the acquisition of 1,33,867 acres of land to facilitate an increase in the Almatti dam height from 519.16 metres to 524.256 metres, he said, adding, “I submit that the insincere attitude of your government towards safeguarding the interests of the State is giving scope for the neighbouring States to initiate steps that will result in adverse consequence for our State.”
Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy also criticised the TDP’s historical approach to the Rayalaseema projects, recalling that construction works to raise the Almatti dam height began during Mr. Naidu’s tenure as the Chief Minister of united Andhra Pradesh in 1996. Despite widespread protests from political parties and farming communities, the TDP leadership allegedly failed to resist Karnataka’s move, which subsequently gained approval from the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal, he said.
The former Chief Minister further stated that the TDP government formed in 2014 “relinquished the State’s rights” over the Krishna river waters to Telangana, contributing to the current crisis. With Mr. Naidu back as Chief Minister, he stressed that the responsibility to protect Andhra Pradesh’s water interests is now greater than ever.
Mr. Jagan urged the coalition government to firmly defend the 512 TMC net allocation given by the Bachawat Tribunal, warning that even a loss of one TMC would be unacceptable and that the TDP government would be held accountable. A.P. confronts a difficult situation again, and there is apprehension in the minds of one and all that the interests of the State may once again be compromised. “In this context, I urge upon you to essentially work towards securing the due share of water for irrigation and drinking needs of the State and protect the interests of the State,” he added.
Published – November 21, 2025 08:17 pm IST
