Telangana Engages Maharashtra on Height Clearance for Tummidihatti Barrage

The Telangana government has initiated high-level bilateral talks with Maharashtra to secure consent for raising the proposed Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of the Tummidihatti Barrage across the Pranahita river from 148 metres to 150–152 metres. A State delegation led by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy is meeting Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai to address upper-riparian clearances and submergence concerns along their shared border.

Significance for UPSC

Inter-State water sharing, riparian rights, and river basin management form critical areas of study under Indian Geography and federal governance. The negotiations highlight the institutional and ecological complexities of managing shared river tributaries, balancing agricultural and drinking water demands against upstream submergence and environmental impacts.

Background and Key Technical Details

• River and Location: The Tummidihatti Barrage is planned across the Pranahita river, a major tributary of the Godavari, situated at Tummidihatti in the Koutala mandal of Adilabad district. The scheme is central to reviving the Pranahitha-Chevella project originally conceptualised in 2007 to divert water by gravity and a small lift to the Yellampally project.
• Past Bilateral Agreements: In 2016, the two State governments agreed to fix the barrage height at 148 metres FRL after Maharashtra raised objections against a 152-metre FRL due to the anticipated submergence of sections of an upstream wildlife sanctuary. During the same period, the Medigadda Barrage was settled at 100 metres FRL.
• Submergence and Technical Studies: Telangana contends that a 148-metre FRL is inadequate to achieve required water diversion targets. Citing a backwater assessment by the Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS), Pune, the State estimates that a 152-metre FRL would submerge approximately 2,300 acres, whereas a 150-metre level would submerge less than 1,000 acres.
• Project Scope: Beyond providing irrigation coverage for two lakh acres in Adilabad district, the barrage is designed to meet drinking and industrial water needs and help circumvent damaged barrages linked to the Kaleshwaram Project.