CWC Calls Telangana and Maharashtra Meeting Over Tummidihatti Barrage on September 1

HYDERABAD — The Central Water Commission has called a meeting between irrigation officials from Telangana and Maharashtra in New Delhi on September 1 to discuss the proposed barrage at Tummidihatti and address outstanding interstate issues.

The development follows recent efforts by Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to find a mutually agreeable solution with Maharashtra regarding the project. Revanth Reddy had written to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis requesting discussions. He subsequently raised the matter with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who referred the issue to the Union Jal Shakti Ministry. In addition, the Chief Minister sent a formal letter to Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil on August 5, according to a news release from the Chief Minister's Office.

Telangana requires approval and clearance from Maharashtra to proceed with the project at the proposed height of 152 metres. The state government has been actively pursuing clearances with Maharashtra authorities for several months.

Under the current plan, Telangana intends to construct a two-pronged 152-metre-high barrage at Tummidihatti on the Wardha and Wainganga rivers, situated just ahead of their confluence. The two sections of the structure will be connected by a wall. Telangana officials maintain that even at the 152-metre height, the project will not result in the submergence of any villages in Maharashtra.

According to official assessments, the anticipated submergence will cover approximately 4,210 acres, most of which lies within the river bed itself. Around 920 acres are projected to go under water in the eco-sensitive zone of the Chapral wildlife sanctuary in Maharashtra.

In 2016, Maharashtra had previously agreed to a proposal from the then-Telangana government to build a barrage with a height of 148 metres. However, the previous administration later redesigned the initiative under the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme, constructing barrages further downstream on the Godavari river at Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla in Telangana.

A pre-feasibility report on the revised Tummidihatti proposal is expected to be taken up for detailed examination during the upcoming discussions convened by the Central Water Commission in New Delhi.