* In an urgent appeal to the Centre, Telangana CM stated that 70 percent of the river flows through the state and demanded for allocation of fair share

■ SOS to Centre: Revanth urged immediate intervention to protect Telangana’s water rights.

■ AP violations: Accused AP of illegally diverting Krishna water and bypassing approvals.

■ Fair Krishna share: Demanded 70% allocation as most of the river flows in Telangana.

■ Project clearances: Sought approvals and financial aid for key irrigation projects.

■ No compromise: Vowed to protect Telangana’s water interests at all costs.

metro india news  I new delhi

The Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy made an urgent appeal to the Centre to safeguard the state's rightful share of Krishna and Godavari river waters. Accompanied by Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy, the Chief Minister met Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil in New Delhi on Monday, highlighting critical issues concerning water allocations, irrigation projects, pending approvals and financial assistance.

During the meeting, Revanth Reddy strongly urged the Union Minister to allocate fair share of Krishna waters to Telangana. He demanded that Telangana be granted 70 per cent of Krishna waters, as 70 percent of the river flows through the state, while only 30 percent is in Andhra Pradesh. He pointed out that the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) had unfairly allocated 66 percent of the water to Andhra Pradesh and only 34 percent to Telangana, despite Telangana's larger catchment area. The CM also sought immediate installation of telemetry machines to monitor water releases, offering to bear the cost if necessary.

Revanth Reddy also demanded that the Centre determine Telangana’s net water share in the Godavari River before making any decisions on Andhra Pradesh’s proposed projects. He accused AP of diverting more Krishna river water than its rightful share and raised concerns over the Godavari-Banakacharla interlinking project, which, he said, violates the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. He emphasized that AP had not obtained clearances from the Central Water Commission (CWC) and the Godavari River Management Board (GRMB).

The CM called for immediate clearances for Telangana’s pending irrigation projects, including the Palamuru-Ranga Reddy, Sitarama Lift Irrigation, and Sammakka Sagar barrages. He highlighted delays in approvals despite the submission of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for Palamuru-Ranga Reddy in 2022. He also questioned why permissions had been granted to Karnataka’s Upper Bhadra project while Telangana's projects were stalled.

Furthermore, CM Revanth Reddy requested financial assistance under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) for key irrigation projects, including Palamuru-Ranga Reddy, Sitarama Lift Irrigation Scheme, Modi Kunta Vagu, Chanaka Korata Barrage, and Chinna Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme. He urged the Centre to provide interest-free loans to Telangana for 50 years under infrastructure development to support irrigation projects.

The Chief Minister also sought the Centre’s intervention in constructing the project at Tummidihatti under the Pranahita-Chevella scheme and securing necessary permissions from the Maharashtra government regarding floods. Revanth Reddy made it clear that Telangana would not compromise on protecting its water resources and called on the Union Minister to take immediate action to address the state's concerns. Nalgonda MP Raghuveer Reddy, Irrigation Principal Secretary Rahul Bojja, and senior officials participated in the meeting.