Minister Uttam Kumar asks officials to address Maharashtra concerns over Tummidihatti barrage
Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy directed officials to find technical solutions regarding land submergence and environmental impact for the proposed project.
Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Saturday instructed officials to find practical and technically sound solutions to address concerns raised by the Maharashtra government regarding the Tummidihatti barrage.
The minister specifically highlighted issues related to environmental impact and land submergence. He asked for an examination of engineering aspects to minimise environmental effects while maintaining the project's irrigation goals.
The review followed discussions on October 26 in Mumbai between Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Telangana is seeking to raise the full reservoir level from 148 metres to 152 metres.
At the 152-metre level, the storage capacity is expected to rise to 5.697 TMC feet, compared to 2.182 TMC feet at the 148-metre level. This change would more than double the storage potential.
The barrage is designed to divert 77 TMC feet of water to support irrigation across 5.85 lakh acres in seven districts. It will be part of a system including the Sripada Yellampalli project and Sundilla barrage.
Minister Reddy directed officials to prepare maps of forests, riverbeds, habitations, and eco-sensitive zones to determine submergence extent. Irrigation Secretary E Sridhar and Engineer-in-Chief (General) OV Ramesh Babu attended the meeting.