Former Telangana minister T Harish Rao has alleged that a proposed change in the Godavari-Cauvery river-link project’s alignment could reduce the state’s access to irrigation, drinking and industrial water, and has urged the Centre to withdraw the plan before a scheduled National Water Development Agency discussion on November 3.
Speaking at a media conference at Telangana Bhavan on Saturday, Rao claimed that Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had written to the Centre on October 7 seeking to route the project through Polavaram instead of the earlier Ichampally-Sammakka Sagar alignment. Rao said the proposed Polavaram-Bollapalli route would bypass Telangana and remove benefits envisaged under the original proposal.
According to Rao, the Godavari-Cauvery link project proposes diversion of 148 tmcft of water, of which Telangana’s allocated share is 43 tmcft. He said a change in alignment could compromise that entitlement and affect the state’s plans for irrigation, drinking-water supply and industrial use. The claims were made by Rao as a political leader and former minister; the supplied report does not include a response from the Centre, the NWDA, Andhra Pradesh or the Telangana government confirming the allegations.
Rao said the earlier route through Ichampally and Nagarjuna Sagar was expected to support irrigation across more than 2.3 lakh acres in the erstwhile Warangal, Nalgonda and Ranga Reddy districts. He argued that replacing it with a route through Polavaram would alter the distribution of project benefits between the two states.
The dispute places the proposed link within Telangana’s wider inter-state water and irrigation administration. Water availability affects not only farm irrigation but also the operation of urban and industrial systems, particularly in districts that depend on large reservoirs, lift schemes and managed river diversions. Any change in the project’s route would therefore require clarity on allocations, pumping infrastructure, command areas and the legal framework governing the use of Godavari water.
Rao also demanded an all-party delegation to inspect major pump houses and assess lift irrigation projects across Telangana. He alleged that schemes including Devadula, Kalwakurthy and Kannepally were not being operated at full capacity and described the state’s current water scarcity as a “man-made drought”. The Telangana government’s response to those allegations was not included in the report.
Rao further accused the Congress-led state government of failing to oppose Andhra Pradesh’s demands and alleged that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had remained silent on the proposed changes. The NWDA meeting cited by Rao is scheduled for November 3 in New Delhi, where discussions on the Godavari-Cauvery link project are expected to take place.
