Harish Rao Challenges Revanth Reddy Over New Tungabhadra Water Agreement
BRS leader T. Harish Rao has demanded clarity from CM Revanth Reddy regarding a controversial Tungabhadra river water agreement. Rao alleges that the deal compromises Telangana's interests and threatens key state lift irrigation projects in exchange for unrelated project approvals.
Highlights
- •Harish Rao demands transparency on the new Tungabhadra river water agreement.
- •Concerns raised over the potential impact of upstream and downstream reservoirs.
- •Claims made regarding a secret deal for a no-objection certificate.
- •Potential threats identified for the Palamuru-Rangareddy and Kalwakurthy lift irrigation projects.
Former irrigation minister and prominent Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader T. Harish Rao has raised serious questions regarding the Tungabhadra river water sharing agreement. On Saturday, he publicly demanded that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy provide a clear explanation concerning a recent accord reached between Telangana, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.
The controversy stems from remarks made by Revanth Reddy during a formal event marking the replacement of gates at the Tungabhadra dam. This gathering, which included the chief ministers of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh alongside the Union Water Resources Minister, has been criticized by Harish Rao for allegedly obscuring the potential surrender of the state’s riparian interests to neighbouring jurisdictions and central authorities.
Concerns Over Water Sharing and Regional Projects
During a press conference, Harish Rao questioned whether the state government had secured any tangible guarantees regarding its allocated share of 15.9 tmc ft of water for the Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme (RDS). He further sought clarification on whether any progress was made on the permanent closure of unauthorized outlets maintained by Andhra Pradesh on the RDS, as well as necessary repairs to the canal infrastructure and the dam itself.
The BRS leader emphasized the need for transparency, calling on the Chief Minister to reveal the proceedings of the closed-door discussions held exclusively among the chief ministers and a senior Union Water Resources official. He specifically highlighted rising concerns over new upstream and downstream projects, such as Karnataka’s proposed 35 tmc ft Naveli reservoir and Andhra Pradesh’s 20 tmc ft Gundrevula project.
According to Harish Rao, the combined impounding of 55 tmc ft of water from these initiatives could severely impact inflows into the Srisailam reservoir. He warned that this development threatens the operational viability of key regional infrastructure, specifically the Kalwakurthy and Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation schemes.
Furthermore, the former minister alleged that the high-level meeting was conducted with extreme secrecy, even excluding the state’s own irrigation minister, N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, from the deliberations. He characterized the current administration’s silence on Karnataka’s construction of unauthorized barrages as a strategic compromise. Harish Rao claimed this was a quid pro quo arrangement, where the state government allegedly refrained from opposing Karnataka’s plans in exchange for a no-objection certificate for the Kodangal Lift Irrigation Scheme.
