Telangana, Maharashtra Set for Crucial Talks on Tummidihatti Barrage in Delhi

Telangana and Maharashtra are set to hold crucial talks in New Delhi on September 1 over the long-pending Tummidihatti Barrage, raising hopes of a breakthrough in the inter-state issues that have delayed the project for years.

The meeting will be chaired by the Central Water Commission (CWC) Chairman at Sewa Bhawan and attended by senior water resources officials from both states. The discussions will focus on technical and inter-state concerns surrounding the proposed barrage across the Pranahita River at Tummidihatti in Komaram Bheem Asifabad district.

The Telangana government has stepped up efforts to secure a consensus and move the project forward. Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy wrote to his Maharashtra counterpart on May 26, seeking talks between the two states to find a mutually acceptable solution. The matter was subsequently taken up with the Prime Minister and referred by the PMO to the Ministry of Jal Shakti.

Revanth Reddy also wrote to Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil on August 5, seeking the Centre’s intervention in resolving the long-standing dispute.

At the centre of the issue is Telangana’s proposal to raise the barrage height to 152 metres, compared with the 148 metres earlier accepted by Maharashtra. The state has argued that the lower level would not allow water to be transported through gravity, making the use of large pumping systems unavoidable and leading to substantially higher electricity costs.

Telangana has cited studies by CWPRS to support its position, maintaining that increasing the water level would result in only limited additional submergence. The government believes that the higher level would make the project more economical in the long run by reducing power consumption and improving its overall viability.

With the project expected to bring irrigation benefits to drought-prone and backward regions, the September 1 meeting is being seen as an important opportunity to end the prolonged deadlock. Whether the talks can finally produce a consensus and put the Tummidihatti Barrage on a faster path towards implementation remains to be seen.