Centre intervenes as Andhra Pradesh and Telangana clash over drinking water dispute

Hours before Telangana went to the polls, Andhra Pradesh took control of the Nagarjuna Sagar Dam, triggering tensions between the two states. At around 2 am on Thursday, as most Telangana officials focused on the polls, approximately 700 Andhra Pradesh police officers entered the project and opened the right canal, releasing 500 cusecs of Krishna water per hour.

Andhra Pradesh’s state irrigation minister, Ambati Rambabu, posted a cryptic message on X, stating, “We are releasing water from Nagarjunasagar right canal on Krishna river for the drinking water purposes.” He later clarified that they took water belonging to the state as per the treaty between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

“We have not flouted any treaty. 66% of Krishna water belongs to Andhra Pradesh and 34% to Telangana. We have not used even a single drop of water that does not belong to us. We tried to open our canal in our territory. This water is rightfully ours,” said Mr. Rambabu.

As tensions rose, the Centre intervened, urging both states to adhere to the release of Nagarjuna Sagar waters as of November 28. Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla proposed this during a video conference with Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and both states agreed. To prevent further conflict, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) will oversee the dam and ensure both sides receive water as per the agreement.

The incident came to light when Telangana Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari accused about 500 armed policemen from Andhra Pradesh of damaging CCTV cameras at Nagarjuna Sagar Dam and releasing about 5,000 cusecs of water during the state assembly elections. This move created “law and order issues” in Telangana, potentially disrupting the drinking water supply to two crore people in Hyderabad and surrounding areas.

Two cases were registered against Andhra Police in Nalgonda district of Telangana. This event echoes a similar attempt by Andhra Police in 2015, which was thwarted by Telangana security forces.