Telangana endorses Inchampalli point for Godavari-Cauvery linking amid criticism over water security

The Congress-led Telangana government has reportedly endorsed the Inchampalli project for diverting Godavari waters to the Cauvery basin, marking a shift from the previous BRS stance. Experts warn it could threaten Medigadda barrage and jeopardize Telangana’s irrigation and drinking water needs

Hyderabad: In a major policy shift, the Congress-led Telangana government has reportedly endorsed the Inchampalli project as the diversion point for transferring Godavari waters to the Cauvery basin.

The decision, proposed during a National Water Development Agency (NWDA) task force meeting on Friday, marks a departure from the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government’s stance, which opposed Inchampalli due to its potential adverse impact on the Medigadda barrage and other downstream projects. The BRS had advocated for the Sammakka Sagar barrage as an alternative to minimise disruptions to Telangana’s water infrastructure.

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The NWDA’s river-linking plan aims to divert 148 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) of surplus Godavari water to address water scarcity in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. Telangana is allocated 44 TMC under the proposal, a figure that has drawn criticism. The BRS had previously demanded a 50 percent share, approximately 74 TMC, to protect Telangana’s 966 TMC allocation under the Bachawat Tribunal.

V Prakash Rao, former chairman of the Telangana Water Resources Development Corporation, condemned the state government’s support for the Inchampalli project, calling it “disastrous” for Telangana’s water security. He warned that raising the Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of Inchampalli to 100 meters could submerge the Medigadda barrage, which has a bed level of 80 meters, rendering it ineffective.

Rao stressed that Telangana has yet to fully utilize its allocated 966 TMC of Godavari water, and diverting water at Inchampalli could jeopardize the state’s irrigation and drinking water needs.