Talks on with AP over Krishna and Godavari sharing, says Revanth Reddy
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy said discussions with Andhra Pradesh on Krishna and Godavari water-sharing issues were progressing positively. He also revealed plans for bridge-cum-barrages with Karnataka and reiterated that Telangana would protect its assured share of river waters.
Mahabubnagar: Amid the ongoing political arguments over the sharing of River Krishna and Godavari waters, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Friday said discussions with Andhra Pradesh on water sharing were progressing positively and expressed confidence that all pending issues would be resolved soon.
Addressing the media at Jadcherla, the Chief Minister said he would soon share “good news” regarding the inter-State water disputes pertaining to the waters of the Krishna and Godavari rivers and reiterated that Telangana would not lose even a single drop of its assured share of river waters.
Revanth Reddy asserted that Telangana would not hold discussions on other water-related projects unless Andhra Pradesh grants No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS) and Dindi projects.
The Chief Minister, accompanied by Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy, inspected the PRLIS and Kalwakurthy Lift Irrigation Scheme over the past two days. He said the State government was preparing a roadmap to complete the remaining works and that a substantial portion of the PRLIS would be completed by June 2027.
Proposal for bridge-cum-barrages
Revanth Reddy also revealed that Telangana was engaged in discussions with neighbouring Karnataka regarding the construction of bridge-cum-barrages across the Krishna and Bhima rivers along the inter-State border.
He noted that Karnataka had already built similar structures and was storing nearly 100 tmcft of water. Constructing such barrages on the border, he said, could significantly improve groundwater levels in Telangana. The Chief Minister pointed out that Telangana often depends on Karnataka to release water during periods of drinking water scarcity. The proposed structures could help address such challenges and ensure better water management in the future, he said.
According to him, technical experts are currently studying the feasibility of the project. Once the reports are ready, Telangana plans to hold discussions with Karnataka on sharing the construction costs equally. He added that Telangana would seek responsibility for the operation and maintenance of the barrages to prevent future disputes.
Criticism of BRS
Targeting the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), Revanth Reddy accused its leaders of spreading misinformation regarding the PRLIS. He alleged that no major irrigation project in the erstwhile Palamuru region was completed during the BRS government’s tenure. To complete the pending irrigation infrastructure in the region, he said, more than 4,000 acres of land still need to be acquired.
The Chief Minister further stated that the Congress government had spent nearly Rs 22,000 crore on the irrigation sector during the last 30 months, of which about Rs 8,000 crore was allocated to irrigation projects in the erstwhile Palamuru region.
