Telangana wants the Centre to step in and persuade Maharashtra to raise the planned Tummidihatti Barrage height on the Pranahita River—from 150 metres to 152 metres. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy made the case during his visit to New Delhi, bringing along Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy and local MPs for a meeting with Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil.
Revanth Reddy argued that raising the barrage just two metres would let water reach the undivided Adilabad district by gravity alone. No expensive lift irrigation required. That means lower electricity costs, less money spent keeping the system running, and real relief for the state’s budget.
He backed up this request with data. The Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS) study from Pune found that the higher barrage would only marginally increase the submerged area—less than 1,000 hectares, and nearly half of that sits within the riverbed.
Union Minister Patil seemed open to the idea. He promised to first call a meeting with officials from both Telangana and Maharashtra, under the eye of the Central Water Commission (CWC). Then, the plan is to get both states’ irrigation ministers together at a high-level meeting to hammer out an agreement.
Faster Environmental Clearances
That wasn’t the only issue Telangana took to Delhi. Revanth Reddy, in a meeting with Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, pushed for faster environmental clearances—especially after a recent Supreme Court judgment. He stressed that endless delays keep driving project costs up and slowing much-needed infrastructure work, even though Telangana has already invested heavily in these irrigation projects.
Project Expenditure So Far
Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift - Rs 36,437 crore
Dindi Lift Irrigation Scheme - Rs 3,187 crore
Seethamma Sagar Project - Rs 1,835 crore
Gouravelli Project – Rs 1,350 crore
The Telangana government urged the Centre to grant the required environmental approvals at the earliest so that the projects can be completed without further delays and escalating costs.
