Centre steps in to revive Pranahita

1. Telangana to Press for 152-Metre Barrage
2. September 1 inter-State talks could facilitate gravity diversion of 80 TMC to Sundilla
3. CWC Chairman to chair Telangana–Maharashtra negotiations
4. Revival plan also seeks to restore irrigation benefits to excluded ayacut in Adilabad, Medak and Ranga Reddy districts

metro india news  I hyderabad

Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said inter-State talks between Telangana and Maharashtra, convened by the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, could pave the way for diverting nearly 80 TMC of Pranahita water by gravity to the Sundilla barrage.

The September 1 meeting in New Delhi will examine Telangana’s proposal to construct the Pranahita barrage at Tummidi Hatti at a full reservoir level of 150 metres. The meeting will be chaired by the Central Water Commission Chairman and attended by senior officials.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said the talks followed sustained efforts by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and the Irrigation Department to restore benefits originally envisaged under the Dr B.R. Ambedkar Pranahita-Chevella project.

Telangana will seek Maharashtra’s consent for a 152-metre level, two metres above the 148-metre level accepted by the previous government in 2016. Technical studies estimated Maharashtra’s submergence at about 1,150 acres at 148 metres and over 2,500 acres at 152 metres.

The Minister said the original project was designed to irrigate nearly 16.40 lakh acres, but nearly two lakh acres in erstwhile Adilabad remained without an effective irrigation source. He said the revival plan aims to restore these benefits while addressing technical, submergence and inter-State issues.