Thummidihatti Barrage Talks: Telangana Seeks 152-Metre FRL

Hyderabad, October 25: Ahead of a key meeting in Mumbai on Monday, Telangana is pressing Maharashtra to approve a higher full reservoir level for the Thummidihatti Barrage. Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis are scheduled to discuss the matter.

The Telangana delegation will leave for Maharashtra on Sunday evening and meet Fadnavis at the Sahyadri State Guest House at 11 am on Monday. The Telangana CMO said the talks would cover all relevant aspects of the project.

The central demand is for the barrage to be built at 152 metres on the Pranahita river, a tributary of the Godavari. Maharashtra had earlier agreed to 148 metres, but Telangana says such a lower height would not provide the water it needs.

Irrigation engineers briefed the chief minister on the likely volume of water that could be lifted or delivered to the Yellampalli project, based on both 152-metre and 150-metre FRL scenarios. Officials said the barrage is not expected to submerge any village in Maharashtra. However, a 152-metre FRL could submerge about 2,300 acres of land in Maharashtra, while a 150-metre FRL would keep the affected area below 1,000 acres.

The chief minister has directed officials to assess the potential submergence area in Maharashtra so that the state can be persuaded to allow maximum water use. He also asked officials to share all information sought by the Central Water Commission (CWC) following last month's meeting between officials of both states in New Delhi.

Revanth Reddy said the project aims to irrigate two lakh acres of farmland in Adilabad district, one of the most backward regions of the state, where a large population lives in forest and tribal areas. He expressed hope that people who have fought under the slogan of 'Jal, Jangal, Zameen' would also benefit from the project.