Telangana River-Linking Projects Stuck At DPR Stage
The latest official status indicates that the modified DPR was completed in January 2024 and circulated to the concerned states: Reports
HYDERABAD: Telangana’s proposed river-linking projects remain at the feasibility and Detailed Project Report (DPR) stages, with none moved forward under the National Perspective Plan (NPP) for Interlinking of rivers, according to the status report released by the Union Jal Shakti ministry.
The National Water Development Agency (NWDA) has identified 30 interlinking projects—16 under the Peninsular component and 14 under the Himalayan component. The Ken–Betwa Link Project in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh is the only priority project under the NPP to have entered the implementation stage. With an estimated cost of ₹44,605 crore, it is expected to provide irrigation, drinking water and power benefits to the two states.
For Telangana, the key proposal is the Godavari (Inchampalli)–Krishna (Nagarjunasagar) link. The original proposal has a completed Feasibility Report, while the alternate proposal has reached the DPR stage.
The latest official status indicates that the modified DPR was completed in January 2024 and circulated to the concerned states. The project is projected to provide irrigation benefits to 2.38 lakh hectares, domestic and industrial water supply of 232 million cubic metres, and 26 MW of hydropower.
Another proposal from the state is the Godavari (Inchampalli/Sitamma Sagar Multipurpose Project)–Krishna (Pulichintala) link, for which the DPR was completed in March 2024. Covering Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, it envisages irrigation benefits of 4.74 lakh hectares, including 0.36 lakh hectares in
Telangana. The Telangana component also includes 26.8 million cubic metres of domestic and industrial water supply.
The broader Godavari–Krishna–Pennar–Cauvery linkage is dependent on consensus among the participating states. An earlier official reply said the proposal envisaged diversion of unutilised Godavari-basin waters to provide irrigation benefits to Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, but implementation would require agreement among the states and the Union Territory of Puducherry.
The Centre has said environmental and socio-economic assessments, land acquisition and rehabilitation provisions will form part of the project planning process. Funds for an interlinking project are generally allocated only after the participating States reach consensus and sign an
implementation agreement.
This information was provided by minister of state for Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Choudhary in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha on Monday.