Hyderabad, Aug 5 (Maxim News): Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Wednesday urged Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil to facilitate Maharashtra’s approval for increasing the height of the proposed Tummidi Hatti Barrage on the Pranahita River.
The Chief Minister said raising the barrage height would ensure gravity based water supply while causing only minimal additional submergence in Maharashtra.
The Chief Minister, accompanied by Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, met the Union Minister at the Ministry of Jal Shakti in New Delhi as part of his Delhi visit. During the meeting, he highlighted the importance of the Tummidi Hatti project for Telangana and requested the Centre to expedite the approval process.
Revanth Reddy informed the Union Minister that he had earlier written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking clearance for the project. He also noted that the Prime Minister’s Office had forwarded the representation to the Ministry of Jal Shakti for further action.
CWPRS Study Supports Higher Barrage Height
The Chief Minister recalled that Telangana and Maharashtra had earlier agreed to construct the barrage at a height of 148 metres. However, he said studies conducted by the Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS), Pune, examined the feasibility of increasing the height to between 150 and 152 metres.
According to the CWPRS study, the difference in submergence between a 148 metre and a 152 metre barrage would be negligible. Around 50 percent of the affected area would remain within the riverbed itself. He explained that constructing the barrage at 148 metres would not allow gravity based water supply, making costly pumping systems unavoidable.
Revanth Reddy stressed that a barrage between 150 and 152 metres would enable gravity flow, significantly reducing electricity consumption and lowering long term operational costs. He urged the Union Minister to persuade Maharashtra to agree to the revised height and requested that a meeting between Telangana and Maharashtra be convened at the earliest.
The Chief Minister said the project would provide a major boost to irrigation in the backward undivided Adilabad district and improve water availability for agriculture in the region.
Responding to the request, Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil said the Ministry had received the communication from the Prime Minister’s Office. He assured the Telangana delegation that the Centre would first convene a meeting of officials from the Central Water Commission (CWC), Telangana and Maharashtra to initiate discussions. This would be followed by a meeting of the irrigation ministers of both states to resolve the issue and move the project forward.
The meeting was attended by MPs Anil Kumar Yadav, Vem Narender Reddy, Dr. Mallu Ravi, Ramasahayam Raghuram Reddy, Porika Balaram Naik, Gaddam Vamsi Krishna and Dr. Kadiyam Kavya. Telangana Government Special Representative in Delhi A.P. Jitender Reddy, Irrigation Advisor Adityanath Das, Irrigation Principal Secretary E. Sridhar and senior officials also participated.(Maxim News)
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