Will Telangana Compromise on Its River Water Share?

Hyderabad, July 1 (NationPress) Telangana's Chief Minister Revanth Reddy emphatically stated on Tuesday that there will be no compromise in securing the state’s rightful share of water from the Godavari and Krishna rivers. He affirmed that the government will persist in its political and legal battle to uphold the state’s rights.

Speaking at an event where he showcased a PowerPoint on the proposed Godavari-Banakacherla project by Andhra Pradesh, CM Reddy criticized former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) and Union Minister G Kishan Reddy for allegedly undermining the state's interests.

Revanth Reddy accused KCR of being responsible for the current water-sharing crisis, claiming it was KCR who allowed Andhra Pradesh to utilize Godavari water without proper allocations. He pointed out that during a meeting on June 18, 2015, KCR and former irrigation minister Harish Rao signed a deal that he described as a 'death warrant' for Telangana's water rights.

According to the Chief Minister, of the 1486 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) in the Godavari basin, 968 TMC were allocated to Telangana, while Andhra received 518 TMC. He mentioned that former Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu exploited KCR’s comments on the availability of 3,000 TMC of flood waters to construct projects without water allocation.

He alleged that KCR had previously presented to then Andhra CM Jagan Mohan Reddy and facilitated the lifting of Godavari water, stating that both CMs had conspired to deprive Telangana of its rightful share. KCR and Harish Rao, he claimed, were now spreading misinformation about water issues for their political survival.

The Chief Minister challenged Harish Rao to engage in a two-day debate in the Assembly regarding the Godavari and Krishna water matters.

He asserted that Telangana’s flood water allocation would be finalized only after the completion of pending projects within the state and emphasized the need for discussions between the two Telugu states to resolve flood and surplus water sharing.

Revanth Reddy criticized Andhra Pradesh's opposition to Telangana's construction projects in the Krishna basin, questioning why they resisted despite assured water allocations for Telangana’s projects.

He condemned KCR for the incomplete projects such as Kalwakurthy, Palamuru, SLBC, Bima, and Nettempadu, which prevented Telangana from utilizing 299 TMC of water.

Moreover, he expressed discontent towards Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy for not aiding the state in resolving issues pending before the Union government, criticizing the Centre for its litigious approach instead of being a supportive entity. “Why isn’t Kishan Reddy taking responsibility? The BRS party seems to be using the Banakacherla controversy for political gain,” he said.

Despite Telangana electing eight BJP MPs, Reddy lamented their ineffectiveness in safeguarding the state's interests. He called upon newly elected BJP state president N. Ramachander Rao to prioritize the Godavari water dispute and urged him to present the issue to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, assuring that state ministers and officials are prepared to provide all necessary information on the matter.