Telangana News: Godavari-Kuvevari link project expected to move ahead in July

HYDERABAD. Hyderabad: The long-pending proposal to link the Godavari and Cauvery rivers under the country’s river linking scheme is expected to make some progress in July when the National Water Development Agency will hold a meeting to review the proposals and discuss the issue with Telangana government officials.

Apart from taking stock of Telangana’s stand on the issue, the meeting is also expected to discuss the change in the location of taking Godavari water from Ichchampalli to Samakka Sagar reservoir. It is learnt that the state government had objected to Ichchampalli being selected as the water take-off point as drawing water from here would affect water storage in the lower reservoirs of the state. The meeting is also expected to discuss the possibility of the NWDA using the Samakka Sagar reservoir as an alternate take-off point.

It is believed that the change in the proposal has been made following objections raised by the previous BRS Government and the current Congress government, who have said that if water is taken from Ichchampalli, the storage in the downstream Devadula, Sitaram, Tupkulgudem reservoirs will be affected. The other reason for the proposed change is objection to increasing the height of Ichchampalli barrage as it will affect the upstream Medigadda barrage and hence Samakka Sagar reservoir in Mulugu district is being explored as an alternate site.