Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Friday directed irrigation officials to prepare a detailed report and presentations for discussions with the Maharashtra government on the Tummidihetti Barrage construction, following Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's willingness to hold talks on the project.
The Telangana Chief Minister, along with Cabinet ministers, held a review with irrigation department officials on various issues of the Tummidihetti Barrage project as well as the Dindi and Achampet lift irrigation projects.
The officials briefed the Chief Minister on the volume of water that could be diverted, up to the Yellampalli project, by constructing a barrage at Tummidihetti at the heights of 152 meters and 150 meters, respectively
The CM directed officials to assess the potential submergence impact in Maharashtra and proceed with barrage construction to maximise water diversion.
CM Revanth Reddy further instructed officials to keep all details from the previous meetings held in Delhi between the two states under the aegis of the Central Water Commission (CWC) readily available and to ensure that any information requested by the CWC is provided.
The Chief Minister highlighted the importance of the Tummidihetti barrage, which is being built to provide irrigation water to 2 lakh acres in the undivided Adilabad district. The discussions with the Maharashtra government would help to address the decades-old water crisis in the tribal-dominated district.
The officials were directed to make all necessary arrangements to expedite the Tummidihetti project and fulfil the Adilabad people’s demand for irrigation, he said.
CM Revanth Reddy instructed irrigation engineers to focus on the route design for water flow from Tummidihetti to Yellampalli, and land acquisition soon after a clarity regarding the height of the barrage emerged.
Noting that Maharashtra had previously agreed to construct the barrage at a height of 148 meters, Revanth Reddy pointed out that a barrage built at such a low height would not allow for the diversion of the required volume of water.
In the review meeting, the Chief Minister ordered the officials to prepare comprehensive technical reports, covering water availability, the extent of the submergence area, and other relevant factors to persuade the Maharashtra government to agree to a barrage height of 152 meters.
The officials were also directed to promptly submit details regarding the recent meetings held in Delhi by CWC, the main issues discussed and the reports requested by the Commission.
The Chief Minister suggested that the ministers clearly articulate Telangana’s water requirements and present the state’s position effectively during discussions with Maharashtra.
Revanth Reddy also instructed officials to make the necessary arrangements to lift 0.5 TMC of water from the Edula reservoir for the Dindi project, and 0.1 TMC for the Achampet lift irrigation scheme. The Chief Minister further directed that arrangements be made to source this total of 0.6 TMC of water for these two projects from the Srisailam reservoir.
The meeting also addressed concerns and requests raised by representatives from the Mahabubnagar and Nalgonda districts regarding water for the Dindi project sourced from Narlapur or Yedula.