Now Reading: PMO forwards Telangana chief minister’s barrage height plea to Jal Shakti
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PMO forwards Telangana chief minister’s barrage height plea to Jal Shakti
PMO forwards Telangana chief minister’s barrage height plea to Jal Shakti
The Prime Minister's Office responded on July 30 to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy's letter seeking a meeting with Maharashtra over the Tummidihetti barrage height, forwarding it to the Union Jal Shakti…
The Prime Minister's Office responded on July 30 to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy's letter seeking a meeting with Maharashtra over the Tummidihetti barrage height, forwarding it to the Union Jal Shakti Ministry for action. Reddy had asked Narendra Modi to facilitate talks to finalise the full reservoir level of the barrage, part of the Pranahita-Chevella project that would irrigate northern Telangana districts.
The original plan set the barrage at an FRL of +152 metres, but in August 2016, Maharashtra agreed to construction at +148 metres, a level the current Telangana government says is too low for cost-effective gravity-based water use. The previous administration had not pursued construction. Reddy argued a slightly higher FRL would cut long-term energy costs and better serve irrigation and drinking water needs in Adilabad, Nizamabad, Karimnagar and Medak.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The Pranahita-Chevella project has been in limbo for over a decade, caught between upstream Maharashtra's objections and Telangana's irrigation needs. The dispute is essentially a fight over every centimetre of reservoir height: at +152 metres, the Tummidihetti barrage would submerge more Maharashtra land and require its consent under inter-state river protocols. The 2016 inter-state board agreement at +148 metres was a compromise, but the previous Telangana government never acted on it. Today, northern Telangana districts, Adilabad, Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Medak, receive less than 30 per cent of their irrigation potential from Godavari waters. If the PMO merely forwards the file without setting a meeting, the status quo could drag into the next monsoon season. The next concrete step: the Jal Shakti Ministry must schedule an inter-state meeting before Maharashtra's assembly elections due later this year, when political will for concessions may vanish.
Source: thehansindia.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
