Andhra Pradesh's push for national status on water projects falls flat

Andhra Pradesh has raised fresh concerns over Telangana's unilateral changes to key water infrastructure projects, claiming the neighbouring state has significantly expanded the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation scheme beyond its original design parameters. According to Andhra Pradesh's grievances, Telangana has increased the pumping capacity from the originally planned 2 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) per day to 3 tmcft daily. The state further contends that Telangana has scaled up water utilisation from approximately 225 tmcft to 450 tmcft, effectively doubling its extraction without proper authorisation.

These modifications, Andhra Pradesh argues, represent a substantial deviation from agreed project specifications and raise concerns about water sharing arrangements between the two states. The issue stems from the broader water dispute between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, which has remained contentious since the latter's formation in 2014.

Andhra Pradesh has repeatedly petitioned the central government to grant national project status to both the Kaleshwaram scheme and the Pranahita-Chevella Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS), arguing that such designation would enable stricter federal oversight and enforcement of agreed parameters. The state contends that national project classification would provide a regulatory framework to prevent unauthorised modifications and ensure compliance with interstate water-sharing agreements.

However, the central government has not responded positively to these appeals. The failure to accord national project status has left Andhra Pradesh with limited recourse beyond litigation and diplomatic channels to challenge Telangana's operational decisions. Water resource experts suggest that formal national project designation could have provided clearer oversight mechanisms and dispute resolution frameworks for managing inter-state water allocations.