HYDERABAD: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Tuesday described the Expert Appraisal Committee’s (EAC) rejection of the Godavari-Banakacherla Link Project proposal as a temporary setback for Andhra Pradesh, stating, “It’s a comma, not a full stop.”
He said that Andhra Pradesh will resubmit the proposal with clarifications to address EAC’s concerns because Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s survival depends on Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, whose own survival hinges on the Godavari-Banakacherla Link Project. “They are political linkages like rivers linkage,” he remarked.
Revanth Reddy accused former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and BRS MLA T Harish Rao of betraying Telangana’s interests in the allocation of Godavari and Krishna river waters. He alleged that KCR agreed to a reduced water share, effectively “mortgaging” Telangana’s rights.
He claimed that Telangana, with 68% of the Krishna river’s catchment area, should have received 555 tmcft of water as per international water laws, but the BRS government settled for only 299 tmcft, which the state never fully utilised, peaking at 220 tmcft due to incomplete projects.
On the Godavari, the chief minister said that of the 1,486 tmcft water available, Telangana was allocated 968 tmcft and Andhra Pradesh 518 tmcft. He slammed KCR for redesigning the Congress-initiated Pranahita-Chevella project into the Kaleshwaram project, escalating costs from Rs 38,000 crore to Rs 1.5 lakh crore, with only 168 tmcft of water having been lifted so far.
He also pointed out that in 2016, KCR claimed 3,000 tmcft of Godavari water was going waste, prompting Andhra Pradesh to plan the diversion of 400 tmcft to the Penna basin.
He urged the Central government to mediate water-sharing disputes between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, instead of fostering litigation. He criticised Union minister G Kishan Reddy for neglecting Telangana’s interests while Andhra Pradesh pursued water diversion permissions. He also appealed to the new state BJP president, N Ramchander Rao, to raise Telangana’s water concerns with the Prime Minister.
CM challenges AP’s objections
Revanth Reddy alleged that BRS’ agitation over water issues was a ploy to revive their party, which suffered losses in the 2023 Assembly and 2024 Lok Sabha polls. He accused them of spreading falsehoods and exploiting water sentiments for political gain, labelling their actions as “kshudrapuja” conducted from the farmhouse.
The CM challenged AP’s objections to Telangana using its assured water share. He questioned how AP could claim surplus water without proper allocations for Krishna and Godavari projects at a time when Telangana is struggling to secure water for even one crop and drinking purposes.
He called for a legislative debate to expose BRS’ mismanagement of water resources and urged Congress leaders to inform the public about the injustices inflicted on the state.
