No Maharashtra assurance on Tummidihatti height as Telangana pushes 152 metres

Telangana left New Delhi on 1 September 2026 without an assurance from Maharashtra on raising the Tummidihatti barrage height on the Pranahita River to 152 metres, officials indicated after fresh talks chaired by Central Water Commission chairman Anupam Prasad.

Telangana pressed Maharashtra to reopen the 2016 agreement that locked the barrage at 148 metres and to accept 152 metres. If that failed, the State sought consent for at least 150 metres, arguing that 148 metres would not yield the intended benefits for the Pranahita-Chevella command and for gravity transfer toward Sundilla barrage. Maharashtra officials, according to the published account, said they had no objection to retaining the 148-metre height already agreed in 2016, sought detailed reports and studies from Telangana, and said they would examine them and consult their government before responding.

Telangana presented studies on water availability, irrigation benefits and submergence at different heights, citing a pre-feasibility report and Central Water and Power Research Station work. Officials also offered appropriate compensation for land likely to be submerged in Maharashtra. Studies indicated submergence could affect more than 1,150 acres in Maharashtra at 148 metres and up to about 2,500 acres at 152 metres—figures that explain why Mumbai’s side wants paperwork before any height jump.

The meeting opens a consultation process ordered by the Union Jal Shakti Ministry. Another officials-level meeting is expected in coming weeks, after which ministerial talks could follow. For Telangana, Tummidihatti height is not a vanity contour; it decides how much Pranahita water can be captured for Chevella and moved by gravity. For Maharashtra, every extra metre is extra submergence and political risk in affected taluks. The 1 September record is a no-assurance outcome, a Telangana ask of 152 metres (fallback 150), a Maharashtra hold on 148 pending study review, CWC chairmanship, compensation offers, and the acreage bands attached to the two heights. Inter-State barrages die in the gap between contour lines and cabinet notes. Telangana’s engineers argue that four extra metres—from 148 to 152—change whether Pranahita-Chevella can run on the water it was sold on. Maharashtra’s officials, protecting farmers in the submergence belt, want every acre counted before they move. Offering compensation for more than double the submerged acreage at the higher contour is Telangana’s attempt to monetise that fear; asking for studies first is Maharashtra’s attempt to slow it.

CWC’s chairmanship keeps the Union in the room without yet forcing a decision. The next officials’ meeting, and any later ministerial round, will show whether 150 metres becomes a real compromise or whether 148 metres remains the ceiling. For now, 1 September ends in a documented no-assurance: Telangana asked high, Maharashtra held the old pact, and the files went back for examination.