The Krishna river is the main river that flows through Mahaboobnagar district. A number of projects were constructed and planning was done, but still this district faces drought. Projects like Tungabadhra, Bheema, Gadwal Branch, Jurala Project, Kalwakurthi Lift Irrigation etc.

 The total irrigated areas in hectares presently are 35,000 as against 1,19,000 in the year 1956-57.

Tungabadra. This project was first planned in 1948 near Hosepet as a joint venture of erstwhile Hyderabad State and Mysore State. Left canal of this project was planned to utilize about 100 TMC ft of water to irrigate lands in Raichur and Mahaboobnagar.

Rajolibunda Diversion Scheme: This project was started to irrigate 93,000 acres in then Raichoor district of the then Hyderabad State utilizing 17 TMC feet of water. It was started by the Hyderabad State and completed by 1956. Subsequent to the reorganization of states, 5900 acres ayacut fell within Karnataka State and remaining ayacut of 87000 acres fell within Andhra Pradesh State. The Chief Engineers of Karnataka and Andra Pradesh agreed for full supply discharge of 850 cusecs at head and 770 cusecs at the border point between Karnataka State and Andhra Pradesh State in 1959.

Krishna water dispute tribunal allotted 1.20 TMC feet of water out of 17 TMC feet of water to Karnataka State ayacut and the remaining 15.90 TMC feet of water to the ayacut in Andhra Pradesh State in 1980. It also gave directions that out of the 17.10 TMC feet of water allotted, 7 TMC feet of water would be in the shape of regulated discharge from Thungabhadra project in the lean months from January to May. Karnataka does not release even half the required flow to ryots of Gadwal and Alampoor taluqs of Andhra Pradesh State, despite a specific direction from the tribunal. The Andhra Pradesh did not show any interest to take up the issue with Karnataka.

The entire Mahaboobnagar district is drought affected, except for Mahaboobnagar taluq. The entire district lies in Krishna basin and it is at the head of the basin in the state. The present irrigation is confined to minor irrigation projects, a few medium projects and one existing major project namely Rajolibunda Diversion Scheme across the Tungabhadra river.

The Bachawath tribunal had allotted 17.1 TMC feet of water to Rajolibunda Diversion Scheme: 1.20 TMC feet of water to Karnataka and 15.9 TMC feet of water to Mahaboobnagar district. But in reality only 5 to 6 TMC of water is available for Mahaboobnagar district, though the availability of water from Tungabhadra is almost 15.90 TMC. Telangana region is deprived due to clandestine and unauthorized and illegal diversion of 6 to 7 TMC of water, with the tacit knowledge of the officials.

Bheema Project: The Bheema project envisages the use of 20 TMC feet of Krishna waters for irrigating 2 lakh acres in the drought affected and upland areas of Makthal, Atmakur, Wanaparthy and Kollapur taluqs of Mahaboobnagar district.

Alternatively the water can be lifted form the Bheema River or Krishna River just below its confluence with the Bheema River and stored in the proposed balancing reservoir at Makthal to irrigate the areas.

Andhra Pradesh State committed in its note APPK 36 to take up a project across Krishna river five miles upstream of Gadwal meter gauge railway bridge with a gross storage of 33 TMC feet water and storage of 16 TMC feet water under stage I.  The irrigation would be flow irrigation of about 1.05 lakh acres, and stage II could be a lift scheme to irrigate about 1.80 lakh acres. The tribunal allotted 17.64 TMC feet of water to the project and work is taken up under stage I named Jurala Project in 1981. The water is yet to be made available to extensive areas of ayacut.

Nagarjunsagar Project: Nagarjuna Sagar project was taken up as a joint project between the then Andhra State and the then Hyderabad State in 1954. On the basis of the agreement, the project was to be jointly executed with left canal to serve 7.95 lakh acres in Nalgonda and Khammam districts with 161 TMC feet of water as its share. Around 2 lakh acres of lands in Andhra State limits were also to be served from the left canal. This joint project report was protected under section 108 (2a) of S.R. Act.

With the reorganization of states and the merging of Telangana with Andhra, the Andhra State became sole authority to execute the project. The bed levels of left main canal were indiscriminately dropped. It was made to pass through existing minor and medium tanks by dropping the bed level of canal and picked up at a lower level. With the result the identified ayacut in Nalgonda and Khammam districts was reduced from 7.95 lakh acres to 5.30 lakh acres including existing ayacut of around 50,000 acres under Paleru Project and other minor irrigation sources. On the other hand the ayacut in Andhra region under left canal was increased from the originally contemplated ayacut of 2.05 lakh acres to 3.78 lakh acres.

As a result of this manipulation in the ayacut of left canal, the ayacut in Telangana utilizes only 86 TMC feet of water including around 6 TMC feet of water for independent yield of Paleru project, Devulapally and other minor tanks. The Nagarjuna sagar supplies only 80 TMC feet of water to Telangana ayacut under left canal, against its entitlement of 161 TMC feet of water, under 1954 agreement.

This is a violation of 1954 agreement and violation of the rights of Telangana Protected under section 108(2) (a) of SR act. The left canal alignment is manipulated so badly that it is not possible to make available the balance water from left canal.

After power generation, water from Srisailam reservoir flows to Nagarjuna Sagar project. The balance water from left canal quota of Nagarjuna Sagar is 127 TMC feet of water. The 127 TMC feet of water has to be supplied from Srisailam reservoir through a tunnel to irrigate areas in Nalgonda and Khammam districts.

The project under the left bank canal utilizing 30 TMC feet of water under Bheema lift irrigation is still not implemented. In addition to the existing deprivations, the Government of Andhra Pradesh is seriously contemplating to bring Krishna waters to Hyderabad city, which will further deplete the water available for irrigation in Telangana region.

Gadwal Branch Canal: Thungabhadra low level canal was to irrigate 80,000 hectares in Gadwal and AlampurTaluqs of Raichur district in Hyderabad state. Due to reorganization of states in 1956, the two taluqs Gadwal and Alampoor became part of Mahaboobnagar district of Andhra Pradesh. The Chief Engineer of Thungabhadra wrote to the Chief Engineer Andhra in September 1956, stating that for the cropping pattern for the scheme approved by the Hyderabad State for 580,000 acres including 10,000acres of second crop paddy.  The total quantity of utilizable water was estimated to be about 80 TMC feet of water out of 100 TMC of water allotted to Hyderabad in 1951. He added that it had been further decided that the balance quantity of water should be utilized in the lower reaches lying in the Telangana region.

The Karnataka State misguided the Krishna water dispute tribunal stating that there was no administrative sanction from Gadwal branch canal beyond Mile 141 and the Andhra Pradesh State accepted the result.  The tribunal ruled that the claim for water to Gadwal beyond 141 miles is not sustainable. The tribunal or the state of Andhra Pradesh did not ask Karnataka State whether there was administrative sanction separately for the branch canal from Mile 127 of main canal to KM 141.00 of Gadwal branch canal.

Mahaboobnagar district also lost substantially in two other projects, around 25 TMC ft in upper Krishna, 50 TMC ft in Bheema project plans, which were in advanced stage of formulation, before reorganization of states took its toll. The result was that Mahaboobnagar district remained drought prone and poorest district in Andhra Pradesh state, with percentage of irrigation recording as low as 4.61% of its shown area in 1996 -97, in spite of the fact that three big rivers Krishna, Thungabadra and Bheema are flowing through it.

Concerned with the plight of the Mahaboobnagar district, the Krishna water dispute tribunal allotted 17.84 TMC feet of water for Jurala project stage I to irrigate around 42,000 hectares bordering Krishna river in Mahaboobnagar district.

Jurala Project Stage–1: This project envisages irrigating scarcity areas in Taluqs of Gadwal, Alampur and Wanaparthy in Mahboobnagar district. The erstwhile Hyderabad State had taken up investigations of 1930 for irrigating certain areas in Telangana region of the present Mahboobnagar District along with areas in Karnataka region, which merged with the Karnataka state after the states reorganization.

In the 1st Stage there will be two canals :

(1) The Right Bank canal will be about 17 miles long serving the areas of Gadwal and Alampur Taluqs in Mahaboobnagar district.

(2) The left Bank Canal which will be about 36 miles serves Taluqs of Atmakur and Wanaparthy of Mahaboobnagar District. The total water requirement in Stage-l for the Right and Left Bank Canals is 16.80 TMC feet of water.

In second stage a pumping scheme to irrigate around 80,000 hectares is not implemented in spite of its commitment before the Krishna water dispute tribunal 30 years back in 1970. The government is not in a position to supply power to agricultural connections even 9 hours a day. Therefore there is no justification for the pumping scheme specially in view of the fact, that an attractive alternative diversion scheme from adjacent Bheema river, where required flows are available. It would be much cheaper in construction and operation than the pumping scheme.