The Krishna River, which is the lifeline of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Has been a bone of contention over water sharing for decades. With Andhra Pradesh being bifurcated in 2014, the controversy became more intense, and the two states are now fighting over a reasonable share of the river’s resources. A significant meeting on May 7, 2025, will ensure that there is a stable Telangana AP Krishna Water-sharing arrangement for the next two-and-a-half decades.
The Krishna water-sharing issue remains a politically delicate and complex problem. Although there are efforts to introduce a stable mechanism, historical bitterness and rival interests make it difficult to solve. The next few months will be crucial in deciding the destiny of water allocation between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
The Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II (KWDT-II) of 2010 was set up to resolve inter-state water-sharing conflicts. Rather than ushering in peace, it further fueled fierce legal wars. The tribunal’s jurisdiction was expanded in 2023 to cover Telangana-Andhra Pradesh water disputes.
Current Water-Sharing Status
Since the previous decade, water split between the two states has remained a proportion of 66:34 in the favor of Andhra Pradesh. Telangana has always been demanding a share of 70% on account of basin area disputes. The current 512:299 TMC share being satisfactory to Andhra Pradesh:
Project-wise Allocations: Telangana is demanding redrawing of allocations from the then Andhra Pradesh’s share of 811 TMC under KWDT-I.
Surplus Water Utilization: The KWDT-II estimated surplus flow to be 285 TMC and distributed it to all three riparian states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra.
Almatti Dam Row: Karnataka’s permission for raising the height of Almatti dam from 519.6m to 524.256m led to demonstrations by Andhra Pradesh because it was expecting truncated supply of water to its Krishna delta.
Legal and Political Developments
Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) has been tasked with the job of facilitating transparency in water usage. Telangana state government has procured telemetry equipment to monitor drawal points of water online. Andhra Pradesh objected to the KWDT-II award in the Supreme Court, namely against surplus water allotments and approval of height of Almatti dam.
The future government negotiations and tribunal hearings will determine if a permanent solution can be found. Telangana still remains optimistic about modification in the existing sharing ratio, while Andhra Pradesh remains firm on its existing demands. The July 31, 2025 deadline for tribunal hearings would be the turning point to this age-old dispute.
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