Telangana to oppose Karnataka’s plan to raise Almatti Dam height

Telangana Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has announced the state’s firm opposition to Karnataka’s proposal to raise the height of the Almatti Dam, citing ongoing proceedings in the Supreme Court. During his inspection of the Jawahar Jan Pahad Lift Irrigation Scheme, Reddy reaffirmed Telangana’s commitment to completing the Pranahita Chevella project.

Nalgonda: Minister for Irrigation, N. Uttam Kumar Reddy stated on Sunday that the State government will oppose Karnataka’s proposal to increase the height of the Almatti Dam. He inspected the ongoing works of the Jawahar Jan Pahad Lift Irrigation Scheme.

Speaking to the media persons on the occasion, Reddy stated, “The Almatti Dam issue is currently under consideration in the Supreme Court. I will personally travel to Delhi tomorrow to present arguments against raising the dam’s height.”

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The Minister assured that the State government was committed to completing the Pranahita Chevella project to ensure that Telangana received its rightful share of Godavari water.

“We will fight any other state to secure Telangana’s fair share of Krishna and Godavari waters. The state has faced injustice in the allocation of these river waters,” Reddy added.

The Almatti Dam on the Krishna river in Karnataka’s Bagalkot district is at the centre stage of a long-standing inter-state water dispute.

Notably, the Karnataka Cabinet’s decision on September 17 to raise the Almatti Dam’s height from 519.6 metres to 524.25 metres has sparked alarm in Telangana, threatening water availability for critical irrigation projects.

Karnataka claims the height increase aligns with the 2013 Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II (KWDT-II) award and utilises “excess water flowing into the sea”.

However, Telangana, a lower riparian State, argues it violates riparian rights and a 2013 Supreme Court stay, initiated by undivided Andhra Pradesh and continued by Telangana in 2014. The issue remains sub-judice, complicating Karnataka’s plans to acquire 1.33 lakh acres of land at a cost of Rs 70,000 crore, submerging 20 villages.