Telangana CM seeks Maharashtra Govt to finalise shedule for talks on Tummidihatti Barrage Height
Hyderabad, May 27 (TNT): Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Wednesday requested the Maharashtra government to finalise a schedule for bilateral talks on the height and construction of the proposed Tummidihatti Barrage under the Dr B.R. Ambedkar Pranahita–Chevella Sujala Sravanthi Project.
In his letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Revanth Reddy requested him to finalise a schedule for bilateral talks with a Telangana delegation led by him to resolve pending issues relating to the project.
The Telangana Government is proposing construction of the barrage at Tummidihatti as part of the Pranahita–Chevella project aimed at addressing irrigation and drinking water needs in North Telangana.
He stressed the need for fresh discussions on increasing the barrage height to adequately address water needs in Adilabad, Nizamabad, Karimnagar and Medak districts.
The Chief Minister reportedly informed the Maharashtra Government that any additional submergence impact in Maharashtra due to a marginal increase in the FRL would remain minimal.
He also asserted that increasing the FRL would facilitate gravity-based water supply to Telangana, thereby improving irrigation efficiency and reducing pumping requirements.
Officials recalled that the original proposal envisaged construction of the barrage with a Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of 152 metres. However, during an Inter-State Board meeting held on August 23, 2016, the Maharashtra Government agreed only to an FRL of 148 metres while assuring cooperation in obtaining required clearances.
Following the Telangana Government’s decision to expedite the Pranahita–Chevella project, a series of review meetings were recently conducted with irrigation experts and senior officials.
Based on expert recommendations, the State Government concluded that an FRL of 148 metres would be insufficient to meet the long-term irrigation and drinking water requirements of North Telangana districts.
TNT TS
