
HYDERABAD: The Telangana government has requested the Central Water Commission not to allow the Andhra Pradesh government to proceed with its proposed Godavari-Banakacherla link project.
In a letter to the CWC, irrigation officials pointed out that Telangana had objected to AP’s Chintalapudi and Pattiseema projects in 2016. “Now, AP is trying to divert two tmcft flood/surplus water through Godavari-Banakacherla to the Penna basin. Permission should not be given to the Godavari-Penna link project until surplus waters in the Godavari river are decided by the Tribunal,” the letter from the Telangana government urged the CWC.
The officials also wrote letters to this effect to the Godavari River Management Board and the Krishna River Management Board.
The officials recalled that AP had taken up the Tatipudi lift irrigation scheme as a temporary measure until the completion of the Polavaram project. However, AP extended the Tatipudi project from 80 km to 178 km and increased its capacity from 1,400 cusecs to 10,000 cusecs. With these steps, Tatipudi would become a permanent project, Telangana officials told the CWC.
They pointed out that the water share of the Godavari beyond 1,486 tmcft had not been finalised. United AP had the right to utilise only 1,486 tmcft, and the projects were constructed to utilise this quantum of water, they pointed out. However, no allocation was made for surplus/flood water beyond the 1,486 tmcft mark, the Telangana officials pointed out. Without specific allocations, AP cannot start new projects in the name of flood/surplus waters, they said.
It may be recalled that Telangana Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy had already written to Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil in this regard.