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Burying the hatchet, at least for the time being, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh have come together to provide relief to the distressed people of the latter state who are reeling from a severe drought for the third successive year.
In a dramatic development, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu flew into Bangalore this afternoon to meet his Karnataka counterpart, S M Krishna, and seek drinking water for the people of his state.
The hour-long meeting resulted in a joint committee of irrigation officials of the two states being set up to work out how much water should be released, and when, from the Almatti dam on the Krishna river in Bagalkot district of northern Karnataka to the drought-hit Rayalaseema and Telangana regions of Andhra Pradesh.
Naidu has sought 50 tmc (thousand million cubic) feet of water from the Krishna, which originates in the upper riparian state of Maharashtra and flows to the lower riparian Andhar Pradesh through Karnataka.
But Karnataka itself is facing a severe drought for the third year in a row, owing to the failure of the monsoon. Because of poor inflows, only 125 tmc ft of water has been stored so far in the Almatti dam, irrigation officials said.
Krishna told reporters after the meeting that Karnataka has troubles of its own and a commitment to its own people, but will consider Andhra Pradesh's request objectively and see how far it can help.
Naidu said the existing water in his state's reservoirs could meet the immediate drinking water needs of the people, but that Andhra Pradesh would need at least 50 tmc ft in the near future, as hopes of additional rain from the withdrawing monsoon appear bleak.
The meeting, held in the backdrop of a raging battle between the states on the sharing of the Krishna waters for drinking and irrigation, was held in a cordial atmosphere and proved productive.
"In a federal spirit, we have decided to join hands to provide succour to the drought-hit people in both states," Krishna said. "Such an effort will go a long way in mending inter-state issues such as river-water sharing."
Admitting that both states are facing a drought for the third successive year, Naidu said the situation is so alarming in Rayalaseema and Telangana that the state government has had to stop releasing water for irrigation so that people can get drinking water.
"Though the monsoon was normal in the initial stages, prolonged dry spells in the last two months have led to severe drought conditions, and the prospects of harvesting either a kharif or a rabi crop are not promising," he said.
In view of Karnataka's partial success with cloud-seeding to induce rains, Naidu said his government too has signed an agreement with the United States-based Weather Modification Inc to start similar operations in the drought-hit parts of Andhra Pradesh.
Naidu said he has invited Krishna to visit Hyderabad for the next round of talks on inter-state issues, including sharing river waters.