Harish Alleges Godavari-Cauvery Link Changes Threaten Telangana’s Water Rights | Hyderabad News

Hyderabad: Accusing the Congress govt of failing to protect the state’s water interests, former minister T Harish Rao said that proposed changes to the Godavari-Cauvery river link project could severely affect Telangana’s share of Godavari waters. Calling the AP’s proposal as a detrimental to the Telangana state interests, the BRS senior leader demanded that the Centre withdraw the proposed changes, protect Telangana’s water rights and ensure that any river-linking project does not compromise the state’s interests. Harish Rao also called for an all-party delegation to inspect major pump houses and review the functioning of lift irrigation projects across Telangana.Addressing a media conference at Telangana Bhavan on Saturday, Harish Rao claimed that the National Water Development Agency (NWDA) has scheduled discussions on the Godavari-Cauvery link project at its November 3 meeting in New Delhi and alleged that the project’s alignment is being altered at the behest of Andhra Pradesh CM N. Chandrababu Naidu.Harish Rao said the AP CM wrote to the Centre on October 7 seeking to route the project from Polavaram instead of the earlier Ichampally-Sammakka Sagar alignment. He alleged that the proposed Polavaram-Bollapalli route would bypass Telangana and deprive the state of benefits that were envisaged under the original proposal.The BRS leader said the earlier route through Ichampally and Nagarjuna Sagar would have helped irrigate over 2.38 lakh acres in the erstwhile Warangal, Nalgonda and Ranga Reddy districts. He said that shifting the project to Polavaram would jeopardise Telangana’s interests in irrigation, drinking water and industrial water supply.The former minister further claimed that of the 148 TMC of water proposed to be diverted under the Godavari-Cauvery link project, Telangana’s allocated share is 43 TMC. He expressed concern that the state’s entitlement could be compromised if the revised alignment is cleared.“As long as KCR was CM, those who work against Telangana’s interests kept quiet. Today they have all woken up again. They have come together to move Godavari water illegally to Andhra through the Polavaram–Banakacherla link.Chandrababu has tried one route after another to take away Godavari water. First he brought up Polavaram–Banakacherla to take 200 TMC. Then he renamed it Nallamalasagar. Now he has convinced the Centre and is clearing the way to Banakacherla in the name of the Godavari–Cauvery link.Launching a sharp attack on CM A. Revanth Reddy, Rao accused the Congress govt of remaining silent on AP’s demands. “CM Revanth Reddy surrendered to AP CM Chandrababu Naidu,” he said. He alleged that the state administration had also failed to utilise available water resources by not operating lift irrigation schemes such as Devadula, Kalwakurthy and Kannepally to their full capacity.Describing the present water scarcity as a “man-made drought,” Harish Rao contended that better planning and operation of irrigation infrastructure could have mitigated the situation.Ends