Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy will meet Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai on October 26 to resolve interstate clearance issues delaying the proposed Tummidihetti barrage across the Godavari River. The meeting is intended to address Maharashtra’s concerns over submergence and the height of the proposed structure.
Reddy will be accompanied by Telangana Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy and senior officials at the Sahyadri state guest house, according to a press release cited by PTI. The proposed barrage is planned on the interstate border and requires Maharashtra’s consent because its reservoir could submerge areas in the neighbouring state.
The immediate dispute centres on the full reservoir level, or FRL, of the barrage. Maharashtra had earlier agreed to a height of around 148 metres, while Telangana is seeking an FRL between 150 and 152 metres. Telangana has argued that the higher level is necessary to improve irrigation coverage in northern parts of the state.
The project has remained stalled because the two states have not reached agreement on the proposed height and related clearances. On September 29, Reddy met Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil in New Delhi and requested the Centre’s assistance in facilitating discussions with Maharashtra. The Telangana government has also submitted a proposal to Maharashtra seeking an agreement to construct the barrage at an FRL of 152 metres.
According to the account of Reddy’s meeting with Patil, Telangana believes the 152-metre level would allow water to flow by gravity to the Yellampalli project. The state government has said this could reduce its dependence on pumping, thereby lowering electricity consumption and pumping costs. The source material does not specify the estimated reduction in power use or the number of additional hectares that would receive irrigation.
The Tummidihetti barrage is intended to revive the irrigation objectives of the Pranahita-Chevella scheme, which aims to supply water to northern Telangana. Its location on an interstate river system means that the project’s progress depends not only on Telangana’s construction and irrigation plans but also on Maharashtra’s consent and the Centre’s role in facilitating an agreement.
The October 26 meeting will therefore focus on converting the competing positions on the barrage height into an agreed framework for clearances and construction. No final agreement had been announced in the supplied report before the meeting. The next formal development will depend on the outcome of the discussions between the two chief ministers and the subsequent response of the concerned state and central authorities.
