Inter basin watertransfer to mitigate drought- Andhra Pradesh perspective

Seventy percent of global freshwater withdrawals are used for agriculture. Irrigation areas have doubled over the last fifty years and are likely to continue increasing (IWMI 2007). Even though agricultural productivity has increased over time (“more crop per drop”) its development presents a major threat of over-Abstraction in many regions and is a major driver for planning and constructing IBTs(Inter basin transfer).In dryland environment like Andhra Pradesh, where rainfall is unevenly distributed and unpredictable, inter-basin water transfers (IBTs) are frequently perceived as the most feasible solution to the problems associated with the skewed distribution of available aquatic resources in relation to human population centres and human needs. Using empirical data on the current patterns of flow via Andhra Pradesh Water Resource Information Management System, it becomes easy to understand the demand and supply equation to mitigate drought, and enable us to Increase supply to meet growing residential and commercial demand;Increase supply to meet new and additional agricultural demands;Increase supply to meet growing hydropower demands;Increase flow to increase the assimilative capacity of the water body; and Protect urban and agricultural land from flooding. The Govt. of AP (GoAP) has embarked on solutions related to Integrated Water Resources Management across all 13 districts, all the basins present in the State of Andhra Pradesh covering 5 Basins, 40 Sub-Basins & 748 Micro Basins. The inter basin transfer was across Godavari Basin to Krishna Basin (Pattiseema), and Krishna Basin to Penna Basin (HNSS). The impact was visible in terms of agriculture production and productivity, groundwater levels improvement, bridging gap ayacut, restoration of storage etc., The future expansion or limitation of the use of inter-basin transfers will center on several key policy considerations.