Telangana Seeks Chhattisgarh NOC for Tupakulagudem Sammakka Sagar Barrage

Telangana Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy met Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai in New Delhi on Thursday to seek an early No Objection Certificate for the Sammakka Sagar Project. The state government requested the clearance for the Sammakka Sarakka barrage to facilitate full reservoir storage and realise its intended irrigation benefits.

During the meeting, Reddy assured the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister that Telangana would pay full compensation for all land and houses impacted by submergence in Chhattisgarh. The minister also conveyed the Telangana government's willingness to deposit the required compensation funds in advance, based on formal assessments conducted under applicable rules.

The 1,143-metre-long barrage has been constructed across the Godavari River at Tupakulagudem. The structure features 59 radial gates and possesses a designed storage capacity of 6.94 TMCft at a full reservoir level of 83 metres, with plans envisaging the diversion of 46.96 TMCft of Godavari water.

Construction on the project originally began in 2018, and substantial work was completed under the previous BRS government to build pondage for downstream irrigation networks. While multiple technical clearances have already been secured, the formal appraisal of inter-state issues has remained pending in the absence of an NOC from Chhattisgarh.

A primary objective of the Sammakka Sagar Project is to stabilise 4.40 lakh acres of ayacut under Phase II of the Sriram Sagar Project, while extending irrigation to a new 30,000-acre ayacut via the Ramappa-Pakhal Link Canal. Additionally, the barrage is planned to stabilise part of the Devadula Lift Irrigation Scheme's ayacut and meet drinking-water requirements along the route.

Telangana has already disbursed Rs 9.883 crore to the Chhattisgarh Water Resources Department to facilitate a study on backwater effects. Chhattisgarh authorities reported in August that DGPS surveys for both full reservoir levels and high flood levels were complete, while LiDAR drone surveys and on-site data collection remained underway.