Almatti dam dispute - Telangana, Karnataka at odds

The Telangana government has made it clear that it will strongly oppose Karnataka’s proposal to increase the height of the Almatti dam across the Krishna River. Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said that Telangana’s interests in both Krishna and Godavari waters will be protected and not compromised under any circumstances.

Speaking at a public meeting in Suryapet district, the minister explained that the matter is currently being heard in the Supreme Court. He added that he would be travelling to Delhi to personally present Telangana’s case. A team of senior legal experts is already working on the issue, and the government is confident of putting forward strong arguments to prevent Karnataka from moving ahead with the plan.

The minister also recalled that the case related to Almatti has been pending before the Supreme Court since 2017. He expressed hope that the court will consider Telangana’s concerns seriously, given the importance of Krishna water for irrigation, drinking water, and the overall livelihood of farmers in the state.

He further criticised the previous BRS government, alleging that it had accepted an unfair allocation of Krishna water in the past. Out of the total 811 TMC available, 512 TMC was allocated to Andhra Pradesh while Telangana received only 299 TMC. He said the current Congress government has already taken up this matter with the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal (a special legal body set up by the Government of India to resolve disputes between states over the sharing of water from the Krishna River) and is committed to fighting for Telangana’s rightful share.

According to him, protecting the state’s water resources remains one of the top priorities of the government.

On September 17, 2025, the Karnataka Cabinet approved the Upper Krishna Project (UKP) Phase-3, which includes plans to increase the dam's height from 519.6 meters to 524.25 meters. This elevation would enhance the dam's storage capacity by approximately 100 TMC feet, facilitating irrigation across an additional 5.94 lakh hectares of land. The Karnataka government claims that this move aligns with the 2013 Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II (KWDT-II) award and aims to utilize "excess water flowing into the sea". However, not only Telangana but also Maharashtra opposing this proposal strongly due to concerns over water sharing and potential flooding.