At Telangana’s request Cabinet approves terms of reference for Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal-II

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has granted approval for the issuance of revised Terms of Reference (ToR) to the existing Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II (KWDT-II) under the ISRWD Act, 1956.

Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal-II

This action is in response to the concerns raised by the Government of Telangana (Got) and is based on legal advice. The goal is to address water disputes between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh (AP).

The KWDT-II, established on April 2, 2004, was originally formed at the request of concerned states under Section 3 of the ISRWD Act, 1956. Telangana, as a newly formed state within the Union of India, came into existence on June 2, 2014. As per Section 89 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act, 2014, the KWDT-II’s tenure was extended to address specific clauses of the act.

Following the formation of Telangana, Got filed a complaint with the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India, on July 14, 2014, regarding the use, distribution, or control of Krishna river waters. Additionally, a Writ Petition was filed by Got in the Supreme Court in 2015. In 2018, Got requested the existing KWDT-II to exclusively consider the dispute between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. This matter was deliberated upon during the 2nd Apex Council meeting in 2020. Following discussions in the Apex Council meeting, Got withdrew the Writ Petition in 2021 and subsequently sought legal advice from the Ministry of Law & Justice (MoL&J) on the matter.

This decision aims to provide a lasting resolution to the Krishna river water dispute between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, facilitating sustainable development in the region and benefiting the people of both states while contributing to the nation’s overall progress.