Hyderabad: The Central Water Commission (CWC) has sought reports from the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) and the Godavari River Management Board (GRMB) regarding the Godavari-Banakacharla project proposed by the Andhra Pradesh government. This project, recently announced by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, has raised concerns in Telangana, prompting Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to direct officials to assess its potential impact on Telangana's share of Godavari and Krishna river waters.
In a letter dated January 6, the CWC requested both GRMB and KRMB to provide their inputs on the project for further examination.
The Rs 80,112 crore project aims to divert 2 tmc ft of water from the Godavari River via Andhra Pradesh’s Polavaram project to the Krishna River. This water would then be used for irrigation and drinking purposes, primarily in the Rayalaseema region and parts of Nellore and Prakasam districts in Andhra Pradesh.
The proposal has sparked apprehensions in Telangana, with Chief Minister Revanth Reddy instructing officials to engage IIT Hyderabad for a study on the potential effects of Polavaram project backwaters in Telangana in light of this development.
Since the utilisation of water from either the Godavari or Krishna rivers requires clearance from the respective river management boards, and given that the Godavari-Banakacharla project seeks to interlink the two rivers, the issue is anticipated to lead to prolonged disputes between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The two states are already in contention over the sharing of Krishna river waters.
