Telangana to push Centre for justice in Krishna-Godavari water sharing, pending project clearances

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy will meet Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil on July 16 to demand Telangana’s rightful share of Krishna-Godavari river waters and seek urgent clearances for stalled irrigation projects, dam safety, and inter-state water dispute resolutions

Hyderabad: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy is set to meet Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil in New Delhi on July 16 to press for Telangana’s rightful share of Krishna and Godavari river waters, and seek immediate clearances for long-pending irrigation projects.

The Telangana government has decided to renew its efforts to secure approvals, resolve inter-state disputes, and draw Central financial support for the completion of key infrastructure in the drought-prone areas of the State.

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Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy has written to Patil, explaining a detailed case for Telangana’s water rights. Among the key demands are the immediate clearance of the Palamuru-Rangareddy and Dindi Lift Irrigation Schemes, which utilise 45 TMCft under the minor irrigation component, and another 45 TMCft towards Telangana’s share from the Godavari-Krishna link. The government also sought environmental approvals for these schemes to enable funding from NABARD and Centre-funding programmes.

The Centre has been requested to fast-track permissions for Sammakka Sagar (Tupakulagudem Barrage), which was delayed due to the lack of NOC from Chhattisgarh, though Telangana has offered compensation. The government also sought to curb illegal diversions by Andhra Pradesh, including Srisailam floodwater to outside basins via Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation and others, violating the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-1 (KWDT) awards and affecting Telangana’s power and irrigation needs.

The State government requested the Centre to take up repair works and restore dam safety at Srisailam amid ignored warnings and damage to the plunge pool, threatening power generation. It also urged the Centre to fund Itchampally and revive the Pranahita-Chevella project with an enhanced 80 TMCft allocation out of Telangana’s 968 TMCft share in the Godavari river waters. The State government wanted the Centre to allocate water for all pending projects on the Krishna river under KWDT-1.

The Centre was asked to reject the unilateral Godavari-Cauvery link proposals, without clarifying on Telangana’s 50 per cent share. The State also demanded funding for the Itchampally project on par with Andhra Pradesh’s Polavaram project. The State government emphasised the urgent need for the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) to act impartially, implement telemetry to monitor diversions, and enforce tribunal awards in spirit and practice. It was pointed out that Telangana has already deposited Rs 4.15 crore for telemetry, while Andhra Pradesh is lagging.