Hans News Service Hyderabad

ThePrime Minister's Office (PMO) responded to a letter written by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy regarding the proposed Tummidihetti barrage construction under the Pranahita Chevella project on July 30. The Chief Minister requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to facilitate a meeting with the Maharashtra government to finalize the height of the Tummidihetti barrage. Revanth Reddy explained the urgent need for the barrage to provide irrigation facilities to northern Telangana districts, prompting the PMO to forward his letter to the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti for further necessary action.

The Chief Minister highlighted that the original project envisaged a barrage at Tummidihetti with a full reservoir level (FRL) of +152 metres. Subsequently, during the Inter-State Board meeting held on August 23, 2016, the Maharashtra government agreed to the construction at an FRL of +148 metres, noting it would facilitate clearances within its territory. However, construction was not pursued by the previous Telangana administration. The present state government remains committed to completing the Dr BR Ambedkar Pranahita–Chevella Project with Tummidihetti as the source to maximize gravity-based utilization of Godavari waters in a cost-effective, energy-efficient manner for drought-prone regions. Revanth Reddy observed that an FRL of +148 metres would not adequately enable cost-effective gravity utilization of allocated waters. A slightly higher FRL would significantly improve gravity-based utilization, lower long-term energy requirements for lifting water, and offer greater operational flexibility in meeting irrigation and drinking water demands across several districts, including Adilabad, Nizamabad, Karimnagar, and Medak.