The council, headed by Bharati, with Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and his Andhra Pradesh counterpart N Chandrababu Naidu as members, has been constituted as part of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014. According to the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal award, upper riparian states have a share in the water diverted from Godavari to Krishna basin. As such, it has every right to construct lift irrigation schemes on Krishna river. “We are always open for negotiations to sort out any differences,” a senior official of the Telangana irrigation department said. Meanwhile, the water resources ministry set up a five-member body headed by irrigation expert and former Central Water Commission chairman AD Mohile to decide the powers of the Krishna River Management Board and the guidelines for management of the river water.

Source: Hindustan Times September 15, 2016 18:33 UTC