Hyderabad, June 25: Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has appealed to the central government to ensure the state receives its rightful share of water from the Tungabhadra project. He emphasized the need for coordination among the states involved.
Telangana is entitled to 15.9 TMC of water from the Tungabhadra dam and river flow. However, the Chief Minister expressed concern that the current flow is only between five to six TMC.
Under the Rajoli Banda Diversion Scheme (RDS), water is essential for irrigating 83,987 acres of land across approximately 75 villages in Jogulamba Gadwal district.
Due to the involvement of three states, he urged for the strengthening of the Tungabhadra Board under the supervision of the Central Water Commission (CWC) to ensure proper allocation of water among Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka.
On Wednesday evening, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy held a review meeting regarding the Tungabhadra project, RDS, and inter-state river water disputes.
The meeting included Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy, MP Mallu Ravi, government advisor Jitendra Reddy, irrigation advisor Aditya Nath Das, CMO Secretary Manik Raj, irrigation secretary Sridhar, Special Chief Secretary (Energy) Naveen Mittal, and senior officials from the irrigation department.
The Chief Minister noted that the RDS anicut has become unsafe and stressed the immediate identification of necessary safety measures.
The Telangana government has already deposited ₹59 crore for the modernization of the RDS canal, but the work remains incomplete. Officials informed the Chief Minister that work under packages 3 and 4 has been completed, while packages 1 and 2 have yet to commence.
It was decided that the issue of pending work for the first two packages would be prioritized in the upcoming meeting between the Chief Ministers of the three states and the Central Minister of Water Power. They will meet during the inauguration of the newly installed crest gates at the Tungabhadra dam in Hosapete, Karnataka.
Engineers brought to the Chief Minister’s attention that excessive silt accumulation on Telangana’s side is hindering the expected diversion of water from the RDS.
An expert committee had recommended silt removal back in 2004, but those recommendations have yet to be implemented. It was decided to request the central government to take immediate action on silt removal. Since the silt accumulation area is in Karnataka, collaboration with that state will be sought.
The Chief Minister directed that a proposal be sent to the center, demanding the implementation of the 2004 expert committee’s recommendations alongside the silt removal work.
He advised comparing the results of previous reports with the current ground realities and ordered senior officials from the irrigation department to prepare a detailed report immediately.
The Chief Minister instructed officials to explore additional options for maximizing water usage under the Tungabhadra Lift Irrigation Scheme.
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S.C.H.
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