Hyderabad, May 27 (PTI) Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Wednesday asked his Maharashtra counterpart Devendra Fadnavis for time to discuss and finalise the height of a proposed barrage at Tummidihatti on the Godavari river in view of certain submergence in the neighbouring state.
As part of its B R Ambedkar Pranahita–Chevella Sujala Sravanthi Project, the Telangana Government is proposing to construct a barrage at Tummidihatti on the inter-state border.
"Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has written a letter to his Maharashtra counterpart Devendra Fadnavis and requested time schedule for talks with a delegation led by him from the Telangana government," an official release said.
Initially, it was intended to construct the barrage at a height of 152 meters. During an Inter-State Board meeting held on August 23, 2016, the Maharashtra government agreed to the construction of the barrage at Tummidihatti at a height of 148 meters.
The Maharashtra government also assured that it would extend cooperation in obtaining the necessary clearances, it said.
As part of its plans to expedite the completion of the Pranahita–Chevella Project, the state government, based on the expert advice, concluded that an FRL (Full Reservoir Level) of 148 meters would be insufficient to meet the water requirements of Telangana, it said.
Consequently, Revanth Reddy mentioned in his letter to the Maharashtra Chief Minister that a fresh round of discussion on the height of the Tummidihatti barrage is important to address the irrigation and drinking water needs of Adilabad, Nizamabad, Karimnagar, and Medak districts in the state.
Further, Reddy explained that the impact of submergence in Maharashtra would remain minimal even if the FRL slightly exceeds 148 meters, the release said.
It would be easy to facilitate water flow to Telangana through gravity after the FRL is increased, Reddy said in the letter.