Centre Forms Panel to Resolve Telangana–Andhra Water Disputes
A high-level committee has been constituted by the Union government to address long-standing water sharing issues between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh involving Krishna and Godavari waters — an important governance step in interstate water conflict resolution.
To bring the long-simmering and escalating disputes between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh over utilisation of Krishna and Godavari river water to closure, the ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) has formed a committee with officials from the central water resources department, and representatives from both Telugu states.
The committee was constituted based on a decision taken during the apex council meeting held in July last year. The meeting, chaired by Union Jal Shakti minister, was attended by chief ministers of Telangana and AP. The committee has been notified amid the ongoing war of words on Krishna and Godavari water utilization and irrigation projects being taken up by the two states.
The panel, to be headed by the chairperson of the Central Water Commission (CWC), will have advisors to the water resources department (irrigation), principal secretaries of the irrigation department, special secretaries of the irrigation department and engineer-in-chiefs from both states as members. Along with them, chairpersons of Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) and Godavari River Management Board (GRMB), chief engineer of the National Water Development Agency (NWDA), chief engineer of the Central Water Commission (CWC) will also be members.
Sharing the details, Union minister G Kishan Reddy said on Friday that MoJS has notified the committee to resolve the issues concerning the utilization of river waters between the two states.The govt of India, following the principle of cooperative federalism, has been extending complete cooperation for the past 11 years towards resolving water related issues between the two Telugu states. For this purpose, the Centre has provided a platform to facilitate the resolution of issues," he said in a statement.
For instance, to resolve the Krishna river water dispute, additional terms of reference were notified to KWDT-II (Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal) on Oct 6, 2023 by the GoI. While the two-year time period ended on Aug 1, 2025, since discussions regarding the utilization of Krishna waters are still underway, a decision was taken to extend the tenure by one more year, up to July 31 2026. In this manner, the Centre is extending all possible cooperation towards resolving water disputes between the Telugu states, Kishan Reddy said.
As per Chapter IX, Section 84 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, an apex council was constituted comprising the minister of Jal Shakti, and the CMs of of Telangana and AP for resolving issues related to the utilization of Krishna and Godavari river waters. Following the discussion, it was decided to constitute a committee comprising representatives from the Centre, and both states to examine these issues from a technical perspective. For this purpose, both the states were advised to nominate their representatives. Following the nominations received from the Telangana govt on Dec 23, 2025, the Centre notified the new committee.