Telangana CM Revanth Reddy writes to Maharashtra CM over Tummidihatti barrage

Hyderabad: Telangana has taken the initiative of holding discussions with Maharashtra on the finalization of the height and construction of the Tummidihatti Barrage.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has written a letter to his Maharashtra counterpart Devendra Fadnavis and requested to finalize a time schedule for talks with a delegation led by him from the Telangana government.

As part of the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Pranahita–Chevella Sujala Sravanthi Project, Telangana was proposing to construct a barrage at Tummidihatti. Initially, it was intended to construct the barrage at a height of 152 meters.

During an Inter-State Board meeting held on August 23, 2016, the Maharashtra government agreed to the construction of the barrage at Tummidihatti at a height of 148 meters.

The Maharashtra government also assured that it would extend cooperation in obtaining the necessary clearances.

Following the state government’s decision to expedite the completion of the Pranahita–Chevella Project, the government reviewed the issue by holding a series of meetings with top officials and irrigation experts recently.

Based on the expert advice, the government concluded that an Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of 148 meters would be insufficient to meet the water requirements of North Telangana.

Consequently, Revanth Reddy mentioned in the letter to Maharashtra chief minister that a fresh round of discussion on the height of the Tummudihatti barrage is important to address the irrigation and drinking water needs of Adilabad, Nizamabad, Karimnagar, and Medak districts.

Further, he explained that the impact of submergence in Maharashtra would remain minimal even if the FRL slightly exceeded 148 meters and it is considered the same. It would be easy to bring water to Telangana through gravity if after the FRL increased , the Chief Minister said.

Located at Koutala mandal in Adilabad district, bordering Maharashtra Tummuduhatti barrage was originally planned at 152 meters in united Andhra Pradesh and later Telangana governments faced disputes with Maharashtra due to land submergence.

An agreement was once reached for 148 meters, but the current administration has been seeking to raise it to 150 meters to maximize water drawal while keeping displacement in Maharashtra minimal.

This barrage functions as the primary headwork for the newly reprioritized Pranahita-Chevella project, aiming to efficiently feed the Yellampalli reservoir.