Tummidihetti Project gets fresh push, Fadnavis agrees for talks

Hyderabad: A crucial meeting between Telangana and Maharashtra governments on the proposed Tummidihetti barrage would be held soon. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has agreed for a meeting to resolve the pending issues of the height of the barrage, release of water and the submergence.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy reviewed various contentious issues surrounding the Tummidihetti Barrage. The irrigation department engineers briefed the Chief Minister on the volume of water that could be diverted, up to the Yellampalli project, by constructing a barrage at Tummidihetti at the heights of 152 metres and 150 metres.

The officials clarified that the construction of the Tummidihetti Barrage would not pose any risk of submergence to villages within the state of Maharashtra. If the barrage is constructed at the height of 152 metres, it would result in the submergence of approximately 2,300 acres of land, whereas a height of 150 metres would limit the impact to less than 1,000 acres.

The Chief Minister directed the officials to assess the potential submergence impact in Maharashtra and proceed with the construction of the barrage in a manner that maximises water diversion.

Revanth Reddy further instructed officials to keep all details from the previous meetings held in Delhi between the two states under the aegis of the Central Water Commission (CWC) readily available and to ensure that any information requested by the CWC is provided.

The Chief Minister highlighted the importance of the Tummidihetti barrage, which is being built to provide irrigation water to two lakh acres in the undivided Adilabad district endowed with forests, huge tribal population, and significant socio-economic backwardness. The Chief Minister was hoping that positive discussions and consultations with Maharashtra would help to address decades-old water crisis in the tribal dominated district.

Considering the importance of the barrage, the Chief Minister instructed irrigation engineers to focus on the route design for water flow from Tummidihetti to Yellampalli, and land acquisition soon after a clarity regarding the height of the barrage emerged.

Noting that Maharashtra had previously agreed to construct the barrage at a height of 148 metres, the Chief Minister pointed out that a barrage built at such a low height would not allow for the diversion of the required volume of water. Preparation of comprehensive technical reports, covering water availability, the extent of the submergence area, and other relevant factors to persuade the Maharashtra government to agree to a barrage height of 152 metres was discussed in the meeting.

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Patan Afzal Babu

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Patan Afzal Babu is an experienced journalist specializing in political and state Administration. With over 20 years of writing expertise, Afzal Babu contributes new content in the areas of politics and administration. Afzal has completed post-graduation from Hyderabad Central University (with a specialization in Journalism). Afzal Babu is an accomplished writer with a passion for writing political news and breaking news. With over 20 years of experience, Afzal honed skills in various genres, including major crime news. Afzal’s diverse family history and embracing cultures have enriched writing with unique perspectives.

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