
Take immediate measures to tackle irrigation challenges: Experts to govt
VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh's irrigation sector faces urgent challenges, including water scarcity, tribunal disputes, and delays in key projects like Telugu Ganga and Polavaram, according to a high-level meeting held in Vijayawada on Tuesday.
Organised by the Rythu Seva Sangham and chaired by Akkineni Bhavani Prasad, the meeting assessed water availability in the Godavari, Krishna, Pennar, Vamsadhara and Nagavali rivers, alongside the progress of ongoing and proposed irrigation projects.

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The Hindu
11 hours ago
- The Hindu
Uttam vows to intensify battle against AP's ‘illegal' Banakacherla project
HYDERABAD The Telangana government will intensify its determined fight against the Polavaram (Godavari)-Banakacherla (Krishna-Penna) Link Scheme proposed by Andhra Pradesh to protect Telangana's river water rights,, Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy Reddy said on Friday. He stated that the State Government had written multiple letters to the Centre already highlighting the serious violations by AP and demanding immediate intervention. In a letter to Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil on January 22, he had explained how AP was going ahead with the Banakacherla project to divert Godavari water to Rayalaseema and South Coastal Andhra by proposing a 150 tmc ft capacity reservoir at Bollapalli in Guntur district. In an informal interaction with the media, he pointed out that the project was unveiled by AP during a press conference on December 29 last year without submitting a Detailed Project Report (DPR) or seeking any mandatory approvals. He stressed that AP had not obtained technical clearances from the Central Water Commission (CWC) and approvals from the Godavari River Management Board (GRMB), Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) and the Apex Council, as mandated by the AP Reorganisation Act 2014. 'No project on inter-state rivers could proceed without these approvals. AP is brazenly bypassing all statutory mechanisms,' Mr. Reddy said and accused AP of misusing Sections 46(2) and 46(3) of the APRA 2014 to seek funds from the Union Finance Ministry under the backward regions development clause. He made it clear that these sections could not override Part IX of the Act, which deals with inter-state river water management, requiring technical clearance, inter-state consultations and Apex Council approval before proceeding with any project. He noted that AP's project was also violating the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal (GWDT) Award of 1980, which apportioned 966 tmc ft water to Telangana out of a total of 1,486 tmc ft. Mr. Reddy alleged that AP was trying to grab unquantified and unallocated 'flood waters' that belong to both the States. 'These so-called 'flood waters' are not extra water that AP can claim. They are subject to equitable sharing and any diversion directly impacts Telangana's drought-prone regions', he said adding that he had mentioned all these aspects in his letters too. Stating that AP had neither shared any proposal with Telangana nor provided any DPR for scrutiny by the relevant boards. He noted that AP had not sent the project's DPR along with its multiple letters to the Union Finance Ministry and the Ministry of Jal Shakti seeking funds and termed it an an attempt to mislead the Centre and push the project without scrutiny. He also faulted the previous Bharat Rashtra Samith (BRS) Government for keeping quiet on the Rayalseema Lift Irrigation Project and expansion of the Pothireddypadu Head Regulator (PRP). Harish Rao's counter Meanwhile, BRS leader and former minister for irrigation T. Harish Rao rebutted Mr. Uttam Reddy stating that it was the BRS Government that had secured a National Green Tribunal (NGT) stay order on RLIP and it was the Telangana Congress leaders who had kept quiet when late Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy had expanded the capacity of PRP four times officially in 2007.


The Hindu
2 days ago
- The Hindu
Polavaram-Banakacherla project DPR being readied for submission to Centre: Naidu
Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu outlined the importance of the construction of the Polavaram-Banakacherla Irrigation Project with the Council of Ministers during a meeting held at the Secretariat in Amaravati on Wednesday. Mr. Naidu said that the project would cost an estimated ₹82,000 crore, for which the State government was preparing to submit the Detailed Project Report (DPR) to the Centre. This project would provide water for drinking, irrigation and industrial needs of the drought-prone Rayalaseema. The State government has almost finalised a financial model for the project, in coordination with the Centre. Minister for Information and Public Relations Kolusu Parthasarathy said that the State government had proposed to raise funds for the project from different sources, including 50% of funds in the form of loans under Externally Aided Projects (EAPs), 20% from the Centre, 10% from State government and the rest 20% under Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM). The Chief Minister also discussed the financial burden on the State exchequer for the welfare schemes such as Talliki Vandanam, aimed at providing annual financial assistance for schoolchildren. Mr. Naidu said that the Annadata Sukhibhavascheme is likely to be launched this month for the benefit of the farmers. Mr. Naidu asked the Cabinet Ministers to ensure a grand success of the Yoga Day by encouraging more participants. On the other hand, the Ministers and Mr. Naidu opined to postpone the celebrations of one-year completion of the NDA government in Andhra Pradesh due to various other programmes scheduled for this month.


India Today
3 days ago
- India Today
K Kavitha calls summons to father KCR in Kaleshwaram project political vendetta
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC K Kavitha staged a protest at Dharna Chowk in Hyderabad today, condemning the judicial summons issued to her father, former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), in connection with the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS), calling it a politically driven attempt to target under the banner of Telangana Jagruthi, the cultural organisation led by Kavitha, the protest saw party supporters gather in large numbers to oppose the Justice PC Ghose Commission's summons to KCR over alleged irregularities in the multi-crore irrigation so-called judicial commission is nothing but a Congress commission,' Kavitha said, accusing the Congress-led state government of trying to 'erase KCR's legacy' and discredit his pro-farmer initiatives. She alleged that the probe was part of a larger political conspiracy and insisted that the Kaleshwaram project, which aims to irrigate 40 lakh acres when fully operational, has been a lifeline for farmers across Telangana. 'The entire intent of this notice is to tarnish the image of a leader who gave Telangana water, power, and self-respect,' she who was initially summoned to appear before the commission on June 5, has reportedly requested a new date and is now expected to depose on June also targeted current Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, questioning his silence on Andhra Pradesh's proposed Polavaram-Banakacherla project, which aims to divert 200 TMC of surplus Godavari water to drought-prone areas in Andhra claimed the Telangana government was ignoring serious inter-state water issues while focusing on what she called a 'political witch-hunt.'In response, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had earlier said that the Polavaram-Banakacherla plan would only utilise surplus Godavari water that would otherwise flow into the sea, and urged Telangana not to Kaleshwaram project, once touted as the world's largest multi-stage lift irrigation scheme, has come under scrutiny over cost escalations, design flaws, and substandard construction, allegations the BRS strongly Watch IN THIS STORY#Telangana