Telangana objects to Andhra Pradesh's Godavari-Bankacherla project plan

During a review meeting with officials on irrigation at his official residence in Delhi on Wednesday, Telangana CM A Revanth Reddy directed the irrigation officials to write letters to Union Jal Shakti Minister, Andhra Pradesh CM, expressing the Telangana government’s strong objections to the decision to take up the Godavari-Banakacerla interlinking project without any permission.

Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh government's proposed plan to build the Godavari-Bankacherla project on the Godavari River may potentially turn into the latest flashpoint between both the Telugu states. Ever since the state bifurcation, both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have been fighting over water allocation in the Krishna and Godavari rivers. Telangana on Wednesday had decided to write to the union Jal Shakthi ministry, Godavari and Krishna River Management Boards, and also Andhra Pradesh, raising its objections over the proposal to construct the Godavari-Bankacherla project.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu last month unveiled his plans to take up the Godavari-Bankacherla project and also sought the Centre's support.

The Andhra Pradesh government has plans to complete the project in a hybrid system through private partnerships besides central and state funds. Naidu had already discussed the project with the Union Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, during his visit to Delhi in December last year.

Andhra planned to divert Godavari water to the Krishna River, then to the Bollapalli reservoir via the Nagarjunasagar Right Bank canal, and finally to the Bankacherla head regulator.

During a review meeting with officials on irrigation at his official residence in Delhi on Wednesday, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy directed the irrigation officials to write letters to Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, and the Godavari and Krishna River Management Boards (GRMB and KRMB) expressing the Telangana government’s strong objections to the Andhra Pradesh government's decision to take up the Godavari-Banakacerla interlinking project without any permission.

The Chief Minister, during the meeting in which state irrigation minister Capt Uttam Kumar Reddy was also present, said the letters should also mention that as per the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, if any state wants to build a project on any river in the two states, information should be given to the GRMB and KRMB as well as the neighbouring state.

Naidu, while unveiling his vision of the Godavari Bankacherla project last month, said the main objective behind the project was to utilise 300 TMC feet of water from the Godavari from the 3,000 TMC feet that was going to waste. Once completed, the project will provide drinking water to 80 lakh people and irrigate 7.5 lakh acres. Andhra Pradesh formulated plans to complete the Banakacherla project in three phases. The first phase involves diverting water from Polavaram to the Krishna River; the second phase involves building the Bollapalli reservoir and shifting water; and the third phase involves shifting water from the Bollapalli reservoir to Banakacherla.

IIT Hyd study on flooding due to Polavaram project

During the review meeting on Wednesday, Revanth Reddy also instructed the officials to conduct a study on the flooding of Bhadrachalam due to the Polavaram project being built by Andhra Pradesh on the Godavari River by IIT, Hyderabad, within the stipulated time. The Chief Minister asked the authorities to expedite the process of obtaining permissions for the Sammakka Sarakka Barrage and Palamuru-Ranga Reddy lift irrigation projects.

Revanth Reddy suggested that strong arguments should be made before the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II (KWDT-II) for Telangana's share in river Krishna water under Section 3 of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act (ISRWDA)-1956. The Chief Minister underscored that water allocations should be made project-wise as per Section 89 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act (APRA)-2014.

He observed that the Apex Council formed under APRA suggested the distribution of water should be made between the two states based on Section 3. The Telangana chief minister reminded that even though the AP government approached the Supreme Court on the further terms of reference of KWDT-II, the apex court did not grant any stay.