Hyderabad: In a bid to strengthen water security along the Krishna River, Telangana and Karnataka are moving closer to a joint barrage project downstream of the Narayanapura dam. The initiative marks a rare show of cooperation between the two states on a sensitive inter‑state water issue, with top leaders set to personally inspect the proposed sites this week.On June 4, chief minister A Revanth Reddy will join Karnataka minor irrigation minister NS Boseraju and Telangana irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy for an aerial survey and ground inspections in the erstwhile Mahbubnagar district. The visit will cover the proposed barrage sites, Koil Sagar project, and stretches of Bhima river.The Telangana govt has identified three possible locations downstream of the Narayanapura dam spillway — near Shaktinagar bridge, Ganjapalli village, and Koratakunda village.Of these, Koratakunda has been assessed as the most suitable, capable of storing one tmcft of water at a full reservoir level of 332 metres. The barrages are intended to provide drinking water to surrounding villages.High-level coordinationLast week, Uttam Reddy held discussions with Boseraju and Raichur MP G Kumar Naik. The upcoming joint inspection is expected to give final shape to the proposal and pave the way for detailed planning.Officials said: “CM Revanth will inspect Koil Sagar, the proposed barrages and also Rajolibanda lift irrigation scheme lift‑1 at Makthal. Later, the CM and Uttam Reddy will continue their inspections of Priyadarshini Jurala dam, Palamuru‑Ranga Reddy project works such as Narlapur reservoir.”On June 5, the CM will extend his tour to inspect PRLIS works, including pump house construction at Kummera village, Vattem reservoir, Kothur, and other ongoing works in Nagarkurnool district.
