Stalemate over sharing of Krishna water to continue

With no resolution in sight over sharing of the Krishna river water between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh after the bifurcation, the stalemate is set to continue in the next water year, beginning June 1.

Telangana has made its stand, at the recent meeting of the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) that it would not agree for the 34:66 (Telangana :Andhra Pradesh) ratio ‘forced’ upon it since the bifurcation for one more year.

Inter-State River Disputes in India

• The Inter-State River Water Disputes are one of the most contentious issues in Indian federalism today.
  • The recent cases of the Krishna Water Dispute, Cauvery Water Dispute and the Satluj Yamuna Link Canal are some examples.
• Various Inter-State Water Disputes Tribunals have been constituted so far, but they had their own problems.
• Constitutional Provisions:
  • Entry 17 of the State List deals with water i.e., water supply, irrigation, canal, drainage, embankments, water storage and hydro power.
  • Entry 56 of the Union List empowers the Union Government for the regulation and development of inter-state rivers and river valleys to the extent declared by Parliament to be expedient in the public interest.
  • According to Article 262, in case of disputes relating to waters:
    • Parliament may by law provide for the adjudication of any dispute or complaint with respect to the use, distribution or control of the waters of, or in, any inter-State River or river valley.
    • Parliament may, by law, provide that neither the Supreme Court nor any other court shall exercise jurisdiction in respect of any such dispute or complaint as mentioned above.

What is the Mechanism for Inter-State River Water Disputes Resolution?

• As per Article 262, the Parliament has enacted the following:
  • River Board Act, 1956: This empowered the GoI to establish Boards for Interstate Rivers and river valleys in consultation with State Governments. To date, no river board has been created.
  • Inter-State Water Dispute Act, 1956: In case, if a particular state or states approach the Centre for the constitution of the tribunal, the Central Government should try to resolve the matter by consultation among the aggrieved states. In case, if it does not work, then it may constitute the tribunal.
  • Note: Supreme Court shall not question the Award or formula given by tribunal, but it can question the working of the tribunal.
• The Inter-State Water Dispute Act, 1956 was amended in 2002, to include the major recommendations of the Sarkaria Commission.
  • The amendments mandated a one-year time frame to set up the water disputes tribunal and also a 3-year time frame to give a decision.

Krishna River

• It is the 3rd-longest river in India, after the Ganges and Godavari, and the 4th-largest river in terms of water inflows and river basin area after the Ganges, Indus and Godavari.
• The total length of the river is about 1,400 kilometres and it falls in the Bay of Bengal.
• The Krishna Basin extends over Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka
• The river is bordered by;
  • The Balaghat range in the north.
  • The Eastern Ghats in the South and the East.
  • The Western Ghats in the West.
• It rises from the Western Ghats in the Satara district of Maharashtra near Mahabaleshwar.
• It is the major source of irrigation in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh
• Left Bank tributaries - Bhima, Dindi, Peddavagu, Musi, Paleru, Munneru.
• Right Bank tributaries Kudali (Niranjna) Venna, Koyna, Panchganga, Dudhaganga, Ghataprabha, Malaprabha, Tungabhadra.
• The largest tributary of the Krishna River is the Tungabhadra River, but the longest tributary is the Bhima River.
• The important types of soil found in the Krishna basin are black soils, red soils, laterite and lateritic soils, alluvium, mixed soils, red and black soils and saline and alkaline soils.
• The Krishana-Godavari delta is known as the "Rice Granary of India."
• Krishna river basin is rich in mineral deposits such as oil & gas, coal, iron, limestone, dolomite, gold, granite, laterite, uranium, diamonds, etc. The following are the few noted deposits:
• Important dams on Krishna River:
  • Basava Sagar Dam
  • Nagarjuna Sagar Dam
  • Srisailam Dam
  • Prakasham Barrage

India, U.S. to hike technology cooperation; co-production of jet engines on the table

India and the U.S. are discussing possibilities of co-producing jet engines, long-range artillery and infantry vehicles under the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) announced earlier this year

Ahead of the visit, the launch of INDUS-X under the iCET to promote partnerships between the two countries’ defence innovation ecosystems is scheduled in Washington.

Enhancing cooperation

• Officials from both sides confirmed that the jet engine collaboration was discussed during DPG along with other collaboration mechanisms within co-production and co-development.
• Among proposals being discussed is to jointly produce a jet engine for India’s future indigenous jets for which General Electric is competing with Safran of France and Rolls-Royce of U.K.
• If the U.S. agrees to transfer jet engine [technology] to India, which China doesn’t at present have the capability for, it sends a very strong message
• Earlier efforts at co-developing a jet engine has failed to take off owing to U.S. domestic legislation.

iCET Initiative

• The iCET initiative was launched by India and the US in May 2022, and is being run by the National Security Councils of both countries.
• Under iCET, the both countries have identified six areas of cooperation which would include co-development and co-production, that would gradually be expanded to QUAD, then to NATO, followed by Europe and the rest of the world.
• Under iCET, India is ready to share its core technologies with the US and expects Washington to do the same.
• Six Areas of Cooperation:
  • The six areas for cooperation are scientific research and development; quantum and artificial intelligence, defense innovation, space, advanced telecom which would include things like 6G and semiconductors.

After sugar, it is time to regulate how much salt is being consumed

• Recently, the Indian Council for Medical Research tweeted about the ways to reduce salt intake by avoiding the addition of salt while cooking and going in for salt substitutes. It rightly pointed out that children, younger than 12 years, require only three grams of salt per day.
• The World Health Organization had cautioned a couple of months ago that the world is off track to achieve its global target of reducing salt intake by 30% by 2025.
• The report shows that only 5% of the WHO member states have mandatory and comprehensive sodium-reducing policies. Additionally, seventy-three per cent of the WHO member states lack the full range implementation of the policies.
• Implementing highly cost effective sodium reducing policies could save an estimated seven million lives globally by 2030.

Reducing sodium in diet

• WHO has suggested the following measures — reformulation of food to contain less salt; controlled procurement of high sodium food in public institutions like schools, workplaces and hospitals; labelled promotion of packed foods with low sodium choices and achieving behavioural changes in population through campaigning in media.
• The WHO has also established a scorecard for various countries. According to that card, India does not have a national policy but it does have voluntary measures to reduce sodium.
• Only persons who have hypertension or kidney disease are advised by their personal physicians to reduce salt in the diet.
• The population at large is still not aware of the danger of hidden salt — salt that is present in ready-made and packed foods.

The effects of excess salt

• Sodium labelling is not mandatory in India. A recent study from Sweden has shown a connection between salt consumption and atherosclerosis, even in the absence of hypertension.
• Atherosclerosis is a disease which blocks the blood vessels. The study included 10,788 individuals between 50 to 64 years. Every gram of extra sodium was associated with a 9% occurrence of plaques in the carotid arteries which supplies blood to the brain; and a 17% increase in coronary artery plaques.

To reduce salt consumption

• The U.K. has been the leading country in the world to have reduced salt consumption in the population. This has resulted in preventing thousands of strokes and cardiovascular events. According to a Cochrane review, reducing salt in the diet in diabetic patients is associated with slower progression of kidney disease, with fewer drugs required to control blood pressure.
• During the COVID-19 pandemic, there were notable studies from China and Germany which pointed out the association between high salt intake and decreased immunity in the body. Salt reduction in the diet is the most cost-effective measure to control non-communicable diseases. India should wake up to this reality. Improving the quality of life by avoiding strokes and heart attacks is the goal — not just prolonging longevity.