TREA proposes a Rs 25,000 crore plan to divert 3–4 TMC/day of Godavari water to Krishna basin, benefiting Telangana and Rayalaseema

■ Original plan dates back to 2019; TREA claims current AP proposal mirrors earlier one finalized by YSRC govt.

■ Engineers demand AP must get approvals from GRMB, CWC, Apex Council to execute the Banakacherla project.

■ Telangana must receive an additional 200 TMC in Krishna share if AP wants to go ahead with its plans.

Metro India News | Hyderabad 

Amidst the ongoing row between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh over the Polavaram–Banakacherla water diversion project, the Telangana Retired Engineers’ Association (TREA) has come forward with an alternative water diversion proposal, which it asserts is more equitable and beneficial to both states.

TREA President M. Shyamprasad Reddy and General Secretary T Venkatesham revealed that the proposal was originally prepared as far back as 2019, following a series of joint meetings involving senior irrigation engineers, officials, and subject experts from both Telugu states. These discussions, held in the presence of the then Chief Ministers of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, aimed at finding a long-term and mutually agreeable solution to the growing water crisis in the Krishna basin.

Shyam Prasad Reddy pointed out that their proposal was slated to be discussed in the fourth joint meeting, but the process stalled when then Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy announced a different plan to divert Godavari waters. Strikingly, the TREA observed that the present Polavaram–Banakacherla project, now being pushed by the Chandrababu Naidu government, is 95% identical to the one previously proposed by Jaganmohan Reddy, raising concerns about lack of transparent and cooperative federal planning.

To address water scarcity in southern Telangana and Rayalaseema, the TREA’s alternative plan recommends diverting 3 to 4 TMC of Godavari floodwaters per day for 100 days from the Polavaram project to the Krishna River. This would be facilitated through a new canal parallel to the existing right canal of the Polavaram project, allowing flow via Pulichintala, NSP tail pond, and Nagarjuna Sagar, eventually reaching Srisailam.

Existing reversible turbines at Nagarjuna Sagar and Srisailam can be used for back-lifting the water, with no land acquisition required. The project, which TREA estimates would cost around Rs 25,000 crore, can be promoted as a cost-effective, technically viable, and regionally balanced solution.

Additional demands if AP proceeds with Polavaram–Banakacherla project If the Andhra Pradesh government continues with its plan to divert 200 TMC of Godavari waters to Penna basin via Banakacherla, TREA has outlined four key conditions that must be fulfilled to safeguard Telangana’s water interests

The association says that Telangana’s completed, ongoing, and proposed projects on the Godavari River and its tributaries must be allocated assured water first. An equivalent 200 TMC of Krishna River water must be added to Telangana’s share to offset the diversion. The project should proceed only after obtaining approvals from GRMB, CWC, and the Apex Council. The project must be undertaken by the Central Government to ease financial burden on Andhra Pradesh and ensure timely execution, it said.

TREA asserts that if these conditions are fulfilled, Telangana projects such as Palamuru-Rangareddy, Dindi, Kalwakurthy, Nettempadu, Koilsagar, Kodangal-Narayanpet, SLBC, and Udayasamudram will receive assured Krishna River water. The Retired Engineers Association is also planning to convene a round table meeting with stakeholders and irrigation experts to discuss the issue in detail and submit a comprehensive report to the Government.