K'taka 'illegally' exploiting water resources: TDP

Telugu Desam Party member P Keshav on Friday said illegal projects were being undertaken by the neighbouring Karnataka state across the river Tungabhadra and urged the Government to take immediate measures to safeguard the State’s water resources.

Keshav said the Karnataka projects will stop 20 to 25 tmc of water from flowing into Andhra Pradesh if the Dhandavati and other projects are allowed to go ahead. Raising the issue during the Zero Hour in the Assembly, Keshav said the Karnataka government was exhorting its farmers to use lifts to draw water from the river illegally while the state government remained a mute witness to the event.

He said the government’s apathy to the goings-on would cost the Krishna sub-basin heavily in the future.

Minister for Irrigation Ponnala Lakshmaiah informed the House that the State Government was taking all steps to fight against ''illegal'' projects taken up by the upper riparian state. He reassured the House that, ''No one needs to have any apprehensions in this regard.''