Revanth to meet Fadnavis for Tummidihatti project height approval in Mumbai

Telangana believes that the earlier agreed proposal of 148 metre FRL barrage at Tummidihatti, in Koutala mandal of Adilabad district, will not serve its intended purpose. File | Photo Credit: The Hindu Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has stepped up efforts to revive the long-pending Tummidihatti Barrage across the Pranahita river at Tummiddihatti on the Telangana-Maharashtra border, with the State government delegation set to hold crucial talks with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai on Monday (October 26) to secure consent for raising its proposed height from 148 metres to 150–152 metres Full Reservoir Level (FRL).The Telangana delegation, led by the Chief Minister, would comprise Minister for Irrigation and Civil Supplies N. Uttam Kumar Reddy and senior officials and engineers of the Irrigation department. The Maharashtra CM would be assisted by Minister for Water Resources Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and senior officials and engineers of the department.In 2016, an agreement was reached between the two governments, with K. Chandrashekhar Rao and Devendra Fadnavis at the helm of affairs, and the height agreed for the Tummidihatti Barrage was 148 metres as Maharashtra objected to the 152 metres FRL due to possible submergence of parts of a wildlife sanctuary in Maharashtra. In the same meeting, the Medigadda Barrage was agreed to at 100 metres FRL. The project subsequently lost priority as the BRS government concentrated on the Kaleshwaram project.Now, the Congress government is planning to revive the Pranahitha-Chevella project by taking up a barrage at Tummidihatti with 152 metres FRL, as originally planned in 2007, to take water by gravity and a small lift to Yellampally project. The Telangana government is arguing that only 2,300 acres of land would face submergence with the barrage at 152 metres FRL and less than 1,000 acres with 150 metres FRL. Government is prepared to consider 150 metres if that helps secure Maharashtra’s approval.On May 26, Mr. Revanth Reddy wrote to Mr. Fadnavis, requesting time for a Telangana delegation to discuss the barrage’s height, submergence implications and other inter-State issues. Subsequently, he wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 11, seeking the Centre’s intervention.The Telangana government is of the view that a barrage with 148 metres FRL would not serve the intended purpose of water diversion. The government is ready with a backwater study report conducted by the Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS), Pune, in its support. Apart from irrigating two lakh acres of land in the backward Adilabad district, the barrage is being planned to serve the Kaleshwaram Project ayacut and drinking water and industrial needs bypassing the three damaged barrages of Kaleshwaram Project.The Telangana Chief Minister would reach Mumbai on Sunday night and stay there for Monday’s meeting. The Congress government has also requested the BJP leadership in Telangana, including the two Union Ministers, to convince its Central leadership to suggest Maharashtra to agree for 152 metres FRL. Published - October 25, 2026 07:23 pm IST