HYDERABAD

The committee constituted by the Ministry of Jal Shakti to deliberate upon the issues concerning river water management between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in January this year, will have its second meeting on September 7 in New Delhi.

The meeting to be chaired by CWC Chairman is being convened following VIP reference of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy. The Secretaries of Irrigation/Water Resources Departments of the two States are expected to participate.

The meeting assumes significance in the backdrop of the fresh water row between the two States, commenced with the unilateral water release to the Nagarajunsagar Right Canal by AP on Wednesday evening without approval of the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB). In response, Telangana too started releasing water to the Left Canal later in the day.

As on Thursday evening AP was drawing 7,380 cusecs of water from the Right Canal and Telangana was taking 2,070 cusecs from the Left Canal.

In the first meeting of the MoJS committee headed by the Chairman of the Central Water Commission (CWC) held on January 30, it was decided that both States would submit detailed agenda items along with supporting data for further deliberations. However, despite several reminders of the committee office, both the States are yet to send their detailed agenda.

Four officials each from the two States, officials of KRMB, GRMB, NWDA and CWC are expected to participate in the meeting to discuss further course of action.

Key meeting

A crucial meeting on the proposed Tummidihatti barrage across the Pranahita will be held in New Delhi on September 1 to discuss the technical and inter-State issues surrounding the project.

The meeting, convened by the Central Water Commission (CWC), will be chaired by its chairman and senior officials of the water resources departments of Telangana and Maharashtra are expected to participate.

The meeting follows sustained efforts by Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to revive the project and secure an agreement with Maharashtra. Mr. Reddy had written to the Maharashtra Chief Minister on May 26, seeking a meeting between the two States to arrive at a mutually acceptable solution. He had also taken up the issue with the Prime Minister, following which the Prime Minister’s Office referred the matter to the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti.

Subsequently, on August 5, Mr. Reddy wrote to Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil, seeking the Centre’s intervention to resolve the inter-State issues and facilitate the project.

A key point in the discussions is Telangana’s proposal to raise the agreed height of the barrage from 148 metres to 152 metres. The State has been explaining to the Centre that drawing the required quantum of water through gravity at 148 metres would not be feasible and that using high-capacity pumps would substantially increase power consumption and the recurring cost of the project.

Telangana’s principal argument is that the barrage should be designed in a manner that ensures long-term benefits to the State while keeping power consumption and operational expenditure to a minimum.

The State has also cited studies conducted by the Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS), contending that raising the water level would result in only limited additional submergence.

The Telangana government has been pursuing the project with the Centre and Maharashtra through a series of consultations, seeking an early resolution to the outstanding issues. The project is considered important for extending irrigation to backward and drought-prone areas of Telangana.

The September 1 meeting is expected to provide an opportunity for the two States and the CWC to examine the technical aspects of the proposal and explore a way forward on the barrage

Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Monday said the State government would complete the J. Chokka Rao Devadula Lift Irrigation Scheme on a war footing by clearing all pending bills, and by expediting the remaining works.

Mr. Vikramarka, accompanied by Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy and Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy, visited the project and reviewed its progress with senior officials in Kannaigudem mandal of Mulugu district. The Ministers also inspected pumping facilities, water storage conditions, and ongoing works at various components of the scheme in Mulugu district.

Addressing the media after the review, Mr. Vikramarka criticised the previous BRS government over the condition of the Kaleshwaram project barrages. Referring to the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP), he said that the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) and the Central Water Commission (CWC) had advised against storing water in the structures until repair works were completed.

Mr. Vikramarka said the government was taking precautionary measures in view of the possibility of deficient rainfall and El Nino conditions. As part of this strategy, efforts were being made to fill all 22 reservoirs linked to the Devadula project and maximise utilisation of Godavari waters.

Of the ₹146 crore sanctioned, ₹58 crore has been earmarked for land acquisition, ₹74 crore for pending project works and ₹ 14 crore for maintenance activities. He said there would be no shortage of funds for the project and assured that all pending issues, including land acquisition and technical bottlenecks, would be addressed expeditiously.

The Deputy Chief Minister said the government aimed to fully utilise the project’s designed capacity of 38.16 TMC and provide irrigation water to the entire ayacut. He added that all 10 pumps in the Devadula system would be made operational to ensure uninterrupted supply of irrigation and drinking water to nearly 12 districts in the Godavari basin.

Mr. Vikramarka emphasised that the Devadula and Sita Rama Lift Irrigation projects would be completed on a war footing with the objective of providing a dependable water source to farmers in the erstwhile Warangal and Khammam districts.

Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy described the Devadula project as a top priority project for the government. He said a comprehensive review was conducted on land acquisition, pending works, pumping capacity and reservoir filling, and instructions were issued to ensure that all 10 pumps become fully operational within the next few days.

He added that water was already being pumped into reservoirs at different stages and that efforts were under way to ensure all 22 reservoirs were filled to capacity.

Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy noted that the scheme has the capacity to provide irrigation to about 6.14 lakh acres, with a majority of the ayacut located in the erstwhile Warangal region.