Telangana to oppose AP's Banakacherla project, says CM Revanth Reddy

Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has said the state government is taking both political and legal steps to protect its rightful share in the waters of the Godavari and Krishna rivers. He strongly opposed the Banakacherla project being undertaken by Andhra Pradesh, calling it unauthorized and aimed at diverting Godavari water to Rayalaseema.

Speaking at the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Telangana Secretariat, the Chief Minister announced plans to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Union ministers to oppose the project. “We will go to any extent to safeguard Telangana’s rights and interests over water sharing,” he said.

The state’s Irrigation Minister, N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, chaired a meeting with all-party MPs from Telangana to discuss the Banakacherla Link Project and its implications. The meeting was attended by Congress MPs Renuka Chowdhury, Anil Kumar Yadav, Dr. Mallu Ravi, Suresh Kumar Shetkar, Kiran Kumar Chamala, Porika Balram Naik, Kunduru Raghuveer, Gaddam Vamsi Krishna, and Ramasahayam Raghuram Reddy. AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi, BJP MPs DK Aruna and Raghunandan Rao, and BRS MP Vaddiraju Ravi Chandra also took part.

Engineering experts presented a detailed analysis of water usage in the Godavari-Krishna basin and outlined the proposed diversion from the Polavaram–Bollepalli reservoir to the Banakacherla regulator.

The Chief Minister said objections had already been raised with the Union Minister for Jal Shakti. “We are also approaching the Prime Minister, Finance Minister, Environment Minister, and other departments to express our concerns,” he said.

Revanth Reddy called for a united front, urging all parties to support the state’s efforts. “This issue goes beyond politics. We are reaching out to legal, environmental, and river management institutions. If needed, we will pursue legal remedies,” he added.

The Banakacherla project proposes to divert 300 TMC of water from Polavaram to Bollepalli Reservoir and beyond. Telangana asserts that it is entitled to 968 TMC from the Godavari and 558 TMC from the Krishna rivers. The state government contends that Andhra Pradesh’s claim of using only surplus floodwater undermines Telangana’s legal rights.

The Chief Minister pointed out that the controversy dates back several years. In a 2016 meeting chaired by the then Union Jal Shakti Minister, the then Telangana Chief Minister had stated that about 3,000 TMC of Godavari water flowed unused into the sea.

Further, during meetings in 2019 between the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, no objections were raised to transferring Godavari water to Rayalaseema. Revanth Reddy said these earlier discussions were being used to justify the Banakacherla proposal.

“This meeting with all-party MPs was not about politics. It was about working together to prevent injustice to Telangana. We have appealed for full cooperation from all,” he told reporters.