Hyderabad, May 28: The Telangana government has commenced discussions with Maharashtra regarding the height and construction of the Tummadihatti Dam on the Godavari River.
Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao has written to his Maharashtra counterpart, Devendra Fadnavis, requesting a schedule for talks with a delegation led by the Telangana government.
Under the B.R. Ambedkar Pranahita-Chevella Sujala Sravanthi Project, the state government has proposed the construction of a dam at Tummadihatti. Initially, the plan was to build the dam at a height of 152 meters.
During an inter-state board meeting on August 23, 2016, the Maharashtra government agreed to construct the dam at a height of 148 meters. They also assured cooperation in obtaining the necessary approvals.
Following the decision to expedite the Pranahita-Chevella project, the current Telangana government has held several meetings with top officials and irrigation experts to review the matter.
Based on expert advice, the government concluded that a Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of 148 meters would be insufficient to meet the water needs of northern Telangana.
Consequently, Chief Minister Rao emphasized in his letter to the Maharashtra Chief Minister the importance of revisiting the dam’s height to adequately address the irrigation and drinking water requirements of Adilabad, Nizamabad, Karimnagar, and Medak districts.
He further clarified that slightly increasing the FRL above 148 meters would have minimal flooding effects in Maharashtra. The Chief Minister asserted that raising the FRL would facilitate easier water transfer to Telangana through gravity.
Last year, the Congress government decided to revive the Pranahita-Chevella project located on the Godavari River in the former Adilabad district.
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