Uttam: Harish Comments On Banakacharla Harm Telangana's Interests

Responding to Harish Rao’s letter on Sunday, Uttam Kumar Reddy in a statement said the project aims to divert 200 TMC ft of water from Polavaram in the Godavari basin to Banakacherla in the Penna basin via Bollampalli in the Krishna basin. This diversion is based on unauthorised use of floodwaters, not the “assured waters” allocated by the Bachawat Tribunal, and therefore neither meets legal standards nor technical criteria set by the Central Water Commission, he said.

“In your letter, you said that as part of 'all waters', AP can take 200 TMC from Polavaram to Banakacherla. Your statement is absolutely wrong and is very harmful to the water rights and interests of Telangana. There is no way AP can be allowed to take floodwaters, as it is not a lawful method of water utilisation as per the law of the land,” Uttam Kumar Reddy said.
As per CWC guidelines, the so-called floodwaters are not officially defined, measured, or allocated for use by any state on an inter-state river, including the Godavari, Uttam Kumar Reddy said.

He called it “pathetic” that Harish Rao, after compromising on Krishna waters, is now advocating a surrender of Telangana’s interests in the Godavari as well. “You failed Telangana once, and now you’re suggesting we give away our rights again,” he said.

He accused Harish Rao of acting out of ignorance and political motives, rather than in the interest of Telangana. “You and your party have shown time and again that protecting Telangana’s water rights is not your priority. But rest assured, our Congress government will make all-out efforts to stop Andhra Pradesh from taking even a single drop of Godavari water unlawfully, under the pretext of floodwaters,” he said.