Hyderabad: BRS deputy floor leader T. Harish Rao on Sunday accused the Congress government of compromising Telangana water rights by linking the proposed Godavari–Nallamala Sagar project with the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme and demanded immediate intervention to protect the state’s interests.
Addressing the media at Telangana Bhavan, Harish Rao alleged that any attempt to connect the two projects would amount to surrendering Telangana’s legally entitled share of water. He claimed the move would undermine the state’s interests and weaken its position in future water allocations.
The former minister also targeted Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, alleging that he was acting in the interests of his political mentor instead of safeguarding Telangana’s interests. Harish Rao asserted that BRS had consistently placed the state’s welfare above political considerations and would continue its fight to protect Telangana water rights.
He recalled that Telangana had faced injustice in Krishna river water allocations during the undivided Andhra Pradesh era. According to him, a similar situation was now emerging with respect to Godavari waters.
Harish Rao said BRS opposed the Banakacherla project from the outset and defended Telangana’s share under the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal award. He maintained that Telangana was entitled to 45 TMC of water if Godavari waters were diverted into the Krishna basin.
Telangana water rights central to river-linking debate
According to Harish Rao, after facing opposition to the Banakacherla proposal, Andhra Pradesh renamed the project as Nallamala Sagar and attempted to pursue the diversion of Godavari waters without formally linking them to the Krishna basin. He said BRS had consistently argued that no surplus waters were available in the Godavari and opposed the proposal.
He further alleged that after the Banakacherla and Nallamala Sagar plans failed to gain wider acceptance, efforts were now being made through the proposed Godavari-Cauvery River Linking Project. He recalled Telangana’s participation in several National Water Development Agency meetings and said the state consistently maintained three conditions.
These included obtaining statutory clearances for Telangana’s pending projects based on its allocated 968 TMC of Godavari water, ensuring Telangana received 50 percent of water diverted through any river-linking project, and routing such projects through Telangana territory, particularly via Ichampalli or Sammakka Sagar to Nagarjuna Sagar.
Harish Rao alleged that the current proposal bypasses Telangana by transferring water from Polavaram towards Nallamala Sagar and further south. He argued that Andhra Pradesh would gain the benefits of a National Project while Telangana would lose future water allocations.
Demanding immediate action, he urged the state government to oppose the Polavaram-Cauvery river-linking proposal, convene an all-party meeting, organise protests in Delhi, and pass a resolution in the State Assembly. He warned that BRS would launch a statewide movement if the government failed to act to protect Telangana water rights.