This document provides an overview of inter-state water disputes in India and specifically summarizes the Krishna River water dispute and its resolution through two tribunals. It notes that India depends heavily on agriculture and river water sharing is important. The Krishna River flows through three states causing a long-standing dispute over allocations. The first Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal in 1976 allocated shares of the river's flow, but a second tribunal was formed in 2004 to review this and issued a new award in 2010, increasing some state allocations and allowing expansion of a dam critical to one state. Controversies remain around the allocations and impacts of the tribunal decisions.

1. Inter State Water Disputes in India
By
Sudheer Sana
(CS10B050)

2. Contents
➢
Introduction
➢
Water Disputes present in India
➢
Constitutional Provisions
➢
Formation of Tribunal
➢
Case study : Krishna River Water dispute
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KWDT-I Award
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KWDT-II Award

3. Introduction
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India is mainly depends on Agriculture.
There are Multi purpose projects and irrigation projects
constructed across the rivers for the efficient supply of water
for the agricultural purposes. So, the sharing of river water
resources plays an important role for the welfare of the
people.
What are Interstate water disputes ?
●
Disputes arising among the states in sharing the river water.

4. Water Disputes in India
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Many river water disputes have erupted since
independence.
As per the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956
(ISRWD Act, 1956) when the water dispute arises among
two or more State Governments, the Central Government
receives a request under Section 3 of the Act from any of
the basis States with regard to existence of water dispute.
The status of such inter-State water disputes under ISRWD
Act, 1956 is followed in the next slide

5. River(s)
States
Date of Constitution
of Tribunal
Date of Award
Krishna
Maharashtra,
Karnataka,
Andhra Pradesh
April 1969
May 1976
Godavari
Maharashtra,
Andhra Pradesh,
Karnataka,
Madhya Pradesh,
Orissa
April 1969
July 1980
Narmada
Rajasthan,
Madhya Pradesh,
Gujarat,
Maharashtra
October 1969
December 1979
Cauvery
Karnataka,
Kerala,Tamil Nadu
and union territory
of Pondicherry
June 1990
Febrauary 2013
Krishna
Maharashtra,
Karnataka, Andhra
Pradesh
April 2004
December 2010
Model/Mandovi/
Mahadayi
Goa, Karnataka and November 2010
Maharashtra
Pending
Vansadhara
Andhra Pradesh,
Orissa
Pending
June 2009
Source : Ministry of Water Resources, Govt of India

6. Constitutional Provisions
●
According to the article 246′s seventh schedule of the
constitution consists of three lists of subject matters.
1) Union List
2) Concurrent List
3) State List
●
Water as entry 17 is in State List : Water, irrigation and
canal, water development and Storage are a state subject.

7. Constitutional Provisions
●
●
Water as entry 56 is in Union List : Regulation and
development of water under the control of the union is
declared by parliament by law to be expedient in the public
interest.
Article 262 explicitly grants parliament the right to legislate
over the matter in Entry 56 and also gives primacy over the
Supreme court.

8. Formation of Tribunal
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●
The water disputes arose among the two or more states, the
central government receives a request from the state
governments under section 3 of the Interstate River Water
Disputes Act (ISRWD) with regard to the existence of water
dispute.
According to this act, first it will try to settle the problem with
negotiations with the states and later the central government
refer to a tribunal which consists of former supreme court
judges and they gives the final award to the central
government after proper studying of dispute.

9. Krishna River Water Dispute-History
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●
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Krishna river is third longest river in India after Ganges and
Godavari rivers.It starts from Maharashtra flows through
karnatka and joins in Bay of Bengal at Hamasaladeevi,
Andhra Pradesh.
This dispute was there since the colonial times and the
states are sharing the water resources based on the
following agreements.
The 1892 agreement between the Mysore Princely State
and the Madras Presidency
the 1933 agreement between the Hyderabad Princely State
and the Madras Presidency.

10. Krishna River

11. Formation of KWDT
●
●
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The state governments of Maharashtra, Karnataka and
Andhra Pradesh sent the requests to the central
government about the dispute in the sharing of the Krishna
water
Central government set up a tribunal in 1969 under the state
water disputes Act 1956 to resolve the dispute
This tribunal was headed by Justice R.S.Bachawat a former
judge of Supreme Court

12. KWDT – I
●
Challenge faced by KWDT -I :
Estimating the dependable flow in the river
●
For estamating the dependable flow, the data has to be
there for atleast 50 years. So they used stream flow data for
analysis.

13. KWDT – I Award
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The KWDT gave its award in 1973
●
Tribunal report detailed two schemes
●
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Scheme A : this scheme pertained to the division of the
available waters based on 75% dependable flow of Krishna
water at Vijayawada
Scheme B : this scheme recommended ways to share the
surplus waters
For the final award scheme A was selected and published in
May 1976

14. KWDT – I Final Award
●
As per this award, 75% dependable flow of krishna water at
vijayawada was assessed as 2060 TMC(Thousand Million
Cubic)
Allocation of Krishna water by KWDT among three states
State
Allocation in TMC
Maharashtra
560
Karnataka
700
Andhra Pradesh
800
Total
2060

15. The KWDT addressed issues
●
The KWDT had to treat already existing uses of river water
in the states and its classified three cutoff dates and their
corresponding uses as the following:
1) All projects in operation or under construction before 27
July 1951 were treated as ‘ protected use ’.
2)All projects commenced or completed between July 1951
and September 1960 were treated as ‘ preferential use ‘
3)Any project after September 1960 was treated as ‘ new use
’

16. Continue...
●
●
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Among these uses, the first two uses were deducted from
dependable flow while allocations were decided and KWDT
applied equal apportionment principles for the third use.
There was another issue about Andhra Pradesh’s alleged
over appropriation of Krishna waters. The other two states
Maharashtra and Karnataka complained about the issue
and they want AP to divert Godavari river water in orders to
maintain the equity in the allocation of resources.
The over appropriation of Krishna water for Andhra Pradesh
comes under ‘protected use’. So, KWDT doesn’t agreed the
statement of Maharashtra and Karnataka and refuses for
converting of Godavari water in its allocation.

17. The Almatti Dam Dispute
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●
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It is part of Upper Krishna Project
The Bachawat Tribunal stated that karnataka had proposed
to complete the Almatti dam in the second stage without
specifying the exact full height
The central water commission had given clearance to build
the almatti dam to a height of 519m
Karnataka government interpreted the Bacchawat award to
mean the full height of the project as it had proposed and
they increased the reservior level to 524.25m

18. Review of the KWDT-I Award &
formation of KWDT -II
●
●
●
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KWDT – I provided for a review of its award after 31 may
2000
No review was taken up for more than 3 years
KWDT – II was constituted by Govt of India following the
requests by all three states in april 2004
This tribunal started its proceedings from July 2007

19. KWDT -II Tribunal
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A 3 member tribunal headed by Justice Brijesh Kumar
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This tribunal gave its award on 31st December 2010
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The award is given based on 65 % dependability by
considering the past years data of flow of water
This award is valid upto 31st may 2050
This can be revised by a competent authority or tribunal in
the future time

20. KWDT-II Award
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The following table gives the allocation of water to the states
State
TMC
Maharashtra
666
Karnataka
911
Andhra Pradesh
1001

21. KWDT -II Award
●
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This award not objected to the increased height of Almatti
dam from 519m to 524.25m, which increases the storage
capacity of the dam
The head of tribunal asked the central government of India
for the establishment of “Krishna water Implementation
Board”
This award directed all the states to contribute 3.30 TMC
feet of water by each state to Chennai city for drinking water
between July and October and 1.70 TMC feet distributed in
four equal instalments between January and April

22. Controversies on KWDT-II Award
Maharashtra
●
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Maharashtra is happy because they are getting 100TMC
more water than the previous allocation
Raising the height of almatti dam is not good for them,
because it may increase the floods in Kolhapur, Satara and
Sangli
Maharashtra had demanded that the computation of water
availability be based on 50% dependability, but the tribunal
fixed it at 65%

23. Controversies on KWDT-II Award
Karnataka
●
They are happy with the award by KWDT-II
●
Increment of Almatti dam height got accepted
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More TMC of water allocated than the previous allocation

24. Controversies on KWDT-II Award
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Andhra Pradesh
This award allocated highest share of Krishna river to
Andhra Pradesh
Not happy in the increased height of Almatti dam because it
can create problems in supply of water to the major projects
Lagadapati Raj Gopal (Member of Parliament) from andhra
pradesh mentioned this problem in loksabha
He mentioned there is no enough suppy of water from the
upper stream regions during the 2001, 2002, 2003 years
when the height of almatti dam is 519m
Now KWDT – II award accepted the increased height of
Almatti dam and the state will have to be at the mercy of
upper riparian state Karnataka

25. Conclusion
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KWDT-II award can be revised by a competent authority or
tribunal in the future time
No case can be filed against the award of the tribunal
One more tribunal may form if Telangana state is formed for
sharing the Krishna water resources between the Andhra
Pradesh and Telangana

26. References
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-1230/india/28266513_1_tmc-surplus-water-cent-dependability
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http://www.nih.ernet.in/rbis/india_information/Krishna%20Water
%20Dispute%20Tribunal.htm
➔
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http://www.irrigation.ap.gov.in/kwdtaward.html
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/krishnatribunal-grants-highest-share-of-waters-to-ap/article1018273.ece
➔
http://swapsushias.blogspot.in/2011/08/krishna-water-disputestribunal.html#.UnoOakNyScM
➔
➔
http://india-wris.nrsc.gov.in/wrpinfo/index.php?title=Krishna
http://wrmin.nic.in/index3.asp?subsublinkid=374&langid=1&sslid
=391
➔

27. Thank You !!!
Any Questions ?