Hyderabad: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy is likely to meet his Maharashtra counterpart Devendra Fadnavis by month-end in connection with Telangana govt’s plan to construct a barrage at 150 metre height at Tummidihatti as part of the Pranahita-Chevella project.In the past, Maharashtra govt had agreed for barrage construction at 148 metres, stating there could be more submergence if the height was increased beyond 148 metres.Telangana govt on Wednesday wrote a letter to Maharashtra in this connection, seeking time from the concerned officials, ministers and the CM. Sources told TOI that the state govt is in a hurry to hold talks and convince the Maharashtra govt to allow the barrage construction at 150 metres height, stating that it would not result in any significant submergence in Maharashtra territory.Experts have suggested that constructing Tummidihatti barrage at 150 meters would enable the utilization of at least 100 thousand million cubic feet (TMC ft) of water and fulfill the interests of Telangana.“Engineering experts noted that constructing the barrage at 152 meters would result in more submergence in Maharashtra. And if the barrage is constructed at a height of 150 meters, it would help to draw water at a lower cost,” sources in irrigation department said.On his part, irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy has directed officials and engineers to ensure that all future decisions and communications between the two states must be backed by comprehensive study, technical merit, and economic viability.He told the officials to prepare complete documentation, alternative alignments, cost-benefit analyses, and geo-technical details, before venturing to talks with the Maharashtra govt.The original Pranahita-Chevella project, conceived by the then Congress govt before the state bifurcation, envisioned a barrage at Tummidihatti on the Pranahita river (a tributary of the Godavari) to divert water primarily through gravity canals and minimal lifts to irrigate upland areas, including parts of Adilabad, and onward to regions like Rangareddy (Chevella tail-end areas) via the Yellampalli reservoir.The previous BRS govt had redesigned it as Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project (KLIP), introducing multiple barrages (Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla) and did not construct a barrage at Tummidihatti, stating lack of water availability at the point.Congress had promised the people during the election campaign that it would revive the Pranahita-Chevella project by constructing a barrage at Tummidihatti.Four alternative alignment proposals for linking Tummidihatti to Yellampalli (and onward to Sundilla) were under examination of the Telangana govt. Experts from IIT Hyderabad and RV Associates conducted studies and submitted reports with four options.During one of the review meetings recently, Uttam Kumar Reddy stated that the Pranahita-Chevella project, including the barrage at Tummidihatti, once operational, would deliver reliable water at reduced operational costs compared to the heavy-lift redesign.
