Maharashtra Agrees to Review Tummidihatti Barrage Height Increase

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has agreed to consider a request from Telangana to increase the height of the proposed Tummidihatti barrage across the Pranahita river. During a meeting in Mumbai on October 26, 2026, A. Revanth Reddy, the Chief Minister of Telangana, sought to raise the Full Reservoir Level from 148 metres to 152 metres to enable the gravity-based diversion of 80 tmc ft of Godavari waters.

Telangana is reviving the project as part of the Pranahita-Chevella scheme to address economic backwardness in the Adilabad district and reduce water pumping costs following the alleged failure of the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation scheme. While Maharashtra previously objected to the 152-metre height due to concerns over land submergence in border villages and a wildlife sanctuary, Telangana offered to compensate affected Maharashtra farmers according to the state's own policies.

Fadnavis proposed the formation of a joint committee, led by the Principal Secretaries of both states' Irrigation Departments, to evaluate technical feasibility, water availability, and submergence impacts. He stated that Maharashtra would support Telangana's water needs provided the project does not adversely affect Maharashtra or its people. During the talks, Revanth Reddy also invited Fadnavis to the Invest Telangana Global Summit in Hyderabad this December.