Hyderabad: Irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Saturday directed officials to work out technically sound and pragmatic solutions to the concerns being raised by Maharashtra over the proposed Tummidihatti barrage, particularly on the submergence and environmental issues involved.As a follow-up to the recent talks with the Maharashtra govt, the minister reviewed the project’s technical aspects and alignments, emphasising the need for a comprehensive assessment of the land likely to be affected at different reservoir levels.During a meeting on Saturday, the minister asked officials to prepare detailed maps identifying riverbed areas, forest and eco-sensitive zones, protected core areas, revenue lands and habitations to establish the actual extent of submergence.Uttam Kumar Reddy stressed that engineering modifications should be examined to minimise environmental impact and address Maharashtra’s concerns without compromising the project’s irrigation objectives.Telangana is seeking to raise the barrage’s full reservoir level (FRL) from 148 metres to 152 metres to improve water storage and utilisation. The proposal was discussed during the Oct 26 meeting between CM A Revanth Reddy and his Maharashtra counterpart Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai.The barrage has been designed to divert 77 thousand million cubic feet (tmc ft) of water and was expected to support irrigation of 5.85 lakh acres across seven districts through an integrated system involving Sundilla barrage and Sripada Yellampalli project. At the proposed FRL of 152 metres, the storage capacity would increase to 5.697 TMC from 2.182 TMC at 148 metres, more than double the storage potential.The project assessment indicates that it involves minimal submergence and rehabilitation and resettlement requirements could be addressed in both Telangana and Maharashtra even at the proposed 152-metre level.
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