Andhra is tampering with water telemetry devices: Telangana government

HYDERABAD: Utilisation of Krishna water form Pothireddypadu head regulator by Andhra Pradesh government has triggered a fresh row between the two Telugu-speaking states for one more time.
TS government has complained against AP government to Krishna River Management Board (KRMB), alleging that AP had tampered with the telemetry equipment installed at Pothireddypadu head regulator in such a manner that meter does not show actual water used by AP. According to sources, as suspected by the TS irrigation department, AP irrigation officials in collusion with the contracting agency tampered the telemetry system and wiped out the vital information on drawal of water from Srisailam Right Main Canal (SRMC). TS irrigation officials found that by tampering the telemetry devices, AP had drawn more water than the actual figures available. 

“Right from the beginning, TS has been stating that Andhra was drawing more water from Pothireddypadu. Even after fixing telemetry devices, AP resorted to draw more water by tampering with system,” a senior official from the TS said. Following this, irrigation minister T Harish Rao called up KRMB chairman Srivastav on Wednesday and registered his protest against the attitude of the AP government.TS officials say AP resorted to illegal drawal of water for Pothireddypadu from SRMC earlier this month. However,  KRMB three-member committee meeting released water to AP and TS and reduced water to be utilised by AP from its allocated quota. 

As the telemetry was calibrated by KRMB, the matter was reported to the member secretary of KRMB over telephone with a request to immediately adopt the calibrated telemetry figures as the under reporting of the discharge is very huge.“However, on the same day, telemetry system was tampered by agency Mechactronics Systems Private Limited and all the earlier calibrated recorded data was wiped out and new data was loaded in the system which is every clear in the statements, hard copies of which were taken out prior to the tampering of the system,” TS irrigation engineer-in-chief Muralidhar Rao told KRMB member-secretary in a letter written on Wednesday.

TS seeks action against the telemetry agency
The tampering of data was done in such a way that all the earlier recorded velocity of the flow was reduced to match the manual discharges reported by AP. “The action of tampering of the sensitive data is very serious in nature and tantamounts to breach of contract and the agency is liable for immediate blacklisting),” TS irrigation officials said in the letter. TS officials requested KRMB to look into the matter personally and take immediate action on the telemetry agency and for restoring the calibration of the system, so that the reliable actual data would be reported.