Hyderabad: A high-level committee headed by the central water commission (CWC) chairman will hold its first meeting with irrigation officials from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh (AP) on January 30 in Delhi. The committee was constituted by the Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) a couple of weeks ago, with members from both Telangana and AP, to resolve pending issues related to the utilisation of Krishna and Godavari waters and irrigation projects.“The agenda of the meeting includes key issues concerning water management between AP and Telangana. Both states will provide details of the key issues for further discussion by the committee. The Godavari river management board (GRMB) and the Krishna river management board (KRMB) will provide relevant inputs for discussion. The committee will also co-opt officers or experts to assist it and participate in its proceedings,” CWC chief engineer and member secretary Rakesh Kumar said in a meeting notice issued on Friday.
The Telangana govt is likely to raise the issues of the Polavaram–Nallamala Sagar link project (PNLP), Krishna water utilisation, and its claim for a larger share of water at the meeting. The Telangana govt is seeking at least 45 tmcft of water initially, out of a total 90 tmcft, for the Palamuru–Ranga Reddy lift irrigation scheme (PRLIS), apart from seeking to stall AP’s Nallamala Sagar link project. Irrigation officials are expected to submit all relevant documents, including details of alleged violations of various awards and the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act by the AP govt.The panel was constituted by the Centre on January 1, 2026, based on a decision taken at the apex council meeting held in July 2025. The meeting was chaired by the Union Jal Shakti Minister and attended by the chief ministers of Telangana and AP. From Telangana, members include the adviser to the water resources department (irrigation), the principal secretary of the irrigation department, the special secretary to the Telangana irrigation department, and the engineer-in-chief. From AP, the members include the special secretary of the water resources department (irrigation), the adviser to the water resources department (irrigation), the engineer-in-chief (irrigation), and the chief engineer.
