Telangana to Seek Maharashtra Nod for 152-Metre Thummidhatti Barrage

Hyderabad: Telangana will press for the Maharashtra government's approval to construct the Thummidhatti barrage at a height of 152 metres during the Central Water Commission meeting scheduled for September 1, Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy announced.

The inter-state negotiations, convened by the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti between Telangana and Maharashtra, will take place in New Delhi. The meeting will be chaired by the CWC chairman and attended by senior officials and heads of key CWC directorates.

According to the minister, the talks could pave the way for diverting nearly 80 TMC of Pranahita water by gravity to the Sundilla barrage. The discussions will examine Telangana's proposal to construct the Pranahita barrage at Tummidi Hatti with a full reservoir level of 150 metres.

Ahead of the meeting in New Delhi, Uttam Kumar Reddy held a preparatory review with the state irrigation secretary and other officials on Saturday to discuss the strategy.

Uttam Kumar Reddy stated that Telangana will seek Maharashtra's consent for the 152-metre level, which is two metres higher than the 148-metre level accepted by the previous state government in 2016.

The minister added that technical studies carried out by the Central Water and Power Research Station in Pune estimated that submergence in Maharashtra would be around 1,150 acres at 148 metres and over 2,500 acres at the 152-metre level.