Meeting over Krishna-Godavari water dispute postponed as Union Minister tests positive

The Apex Council meeting to sort out the differences between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh over the sharing of Krishna and Godavari river waters has been put off yet again. The Apex Council meeting was earlier scheduled on August 5 but was postponed on the request of Telangana government. Then, the meeting, which was again scheduled to take place on August 25, was postponed as Union Minister for Jal Shakti, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, was diagnosed with COVID-19. The Union Water Resources Ministry informed the governments of both the Telugu states about the postponement on Sunday. As per the information received earlier by both the states, Shekhawat was scheduled to conduct the meeting through videoconference on August 25. On August 20, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat had tweeted that he had tested positive for coronavirus and was admitted to a hospital. The Minister is the Chairman of Apex Council formed under Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014. The Chief Ministers of the Telugu states are members of the Council. The meeting assumes significance in view of the objections raised by Telangana over Andhra Pradesh going ahead with the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme (RLIS) across Krishna river. Telangana has been stating that the project would adversely affect its interests. Andhra Pradesh, on the other hand, had raised objections to six irrigation projects or schemes, including the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme, taken up by Telangana on the Godavari river. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao stated last week that the state will be taking a tough stand over Andhra Pradesh's objections to the projects across Krishna and Godavari rivers while seeking a halt to the RLIS. Welcoming the Centre's decision to hold Apex Council meeting on August 25, Rao had said all the disputes and doubts expressed by the Andhra government and the Centre on sharing of river waters will be clarified and cleared. The Telangana CM asked the officials to take Andhra government to task for illegally utilising water from Godavari and Krishna rivers in contravention of the Bachawat Tribunal Award. In separate letters to the two Chief Ministers earlier this month, Shekhawat had urged them not to proceed with the projects being objected to by each other. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy in his response to Shekhawat had said that RLIS is "not a new project" and it will not affect the water needs of Telangana. He said that Andhra Pradesh was drawing only the share allocated to the state by the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal (KWDT).