Hyderabad: The Telangana government will file a civil suit in the Supreme Court challenging Andhra Pradesh’s proposed diversion of Godavari floodwaters under the Polavaram-Nallamala Sagar project, marking a major escalation in the inter-state water dispute.
This follows directions from the Chief Justice of India-led bench, which advised Telangana to pursue the issue through a civil suit rather than a writ petition. The court stated that a civil suit would allow for a more detailed adjudication of the complex inter-state water-sharing conflict.
Telangana Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, speaking outside the Supreme Court, described the decision as a “proactive step” aimed at protecting Telangana’s water rights. “We are not backing down. We are advancing with full force,” he said, stressing that the new legal approach would broaden the scope of arguments in court.
The Minister, accompanied by senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi, formally withdrew the existing writ petition during the latest hearings, including one held on Monday. Singhvi confirmed to the bench that Telangana would initiate proceedings for a civil suit before the same panel.
Reddy argued that Andhra Pradesh’s plan to divert floodwaters via the Polavaram-Nallamala Sagar project violates existing inter-state agreements and threatens water access for downstream regions in Telangana. “This is about justice for our farmers and future generations. We will contest this in every available forum,” he told reporters in New Delhi.
The dispute centers on whether Andhra Pradesh’s planned floodwater redirection is in breach of equitable allocations under established river-sharing protocols.