Harish asks Centre to stop AP from lifting Tungabhadra water

​Hyderabad: In what promises to be a fresh controversy between the two sibling states, Telangana State Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao on Tuesday requested Union Government to stop Andhra Pradesh from constructing a lift irrigation scheme between Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme (RDS) in Telangana and Sunkesula barrage in Andhra Pradesh to draw Tungabhadra water.

In a letter to Union Minister for Water Resources Nitin Gadkari, Harish Rao strongly objected the AP’s proposal to take up a lift scheme without consulting the Telangana state and the Union ministry. The AP government is taking up the new scheme to draw water from Tungabhadra between RDS and Sunkesula barrage to irrigate ayacut through Penna Ahobilam Balancing Reservoir (PABR) under Tungabhadra Project Right Bank High Level Canal system in Anantapur district.

The minister pointed out that the AP’s proposal to divert about 40 tmc ft of water from Tungabhadra through the new scheme will completely diminish the flows and adversely affect the projects of Telangana mainly Kalvakurthi, AMR SLBC, Nagarjuna Sagar left bank canal and Hyderabad water supply scheme which are drawing water from Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar Project reservoirs.