MLC Kavitha slams Karnataka over Almatti dam height increase

Hyderabad: BRS MLC K. Kavitha alleged that the Karnataka government was plotting to raise the Almatti dam height from 519 feet to 524 feet, warning the move would damage Telangana’s Krishna basin.

At a press meet in the Telangana Jagruthi office, she recalled how earlier governments in undivided Andhra Pradesh had gone to the Supreme Court and secured a stay on the project. According to her, Karnataka had now ignored that stay and sanctioned ₹70,000 crore to acquire 1.7 lakh acres of land.

Maharashtra raises objections

Kavitha said Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had already opposed the proposal. He argued that two districts in his state could submerge if the dam height increased by five metres, creating 100 TMC feet of extra storage. Maharashtra, she added, had also announced plans to approach the Supreme Court.

Call for Telangana’s response

The MLC demanded that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy attend this week’s Krishna Tribunal hearing. She insisted they must explain clearly how Telangana would suffer if Karnataka went ahead with the expansion.

“Krishna basin will dry up”

“If Almatti rises by five metres, Telangana’s Krishna basin will dry up. Farmers will lose access to water,” Kavitha warned. She reminded that people in the erstwhile Mahbubnagar district had fought for Krishna waters for decades. Today, however, she said those same people asked why the government remained silent.

Attack on Revanth Reddy

Kavitha also charged that CM Revanth Reddy had neglected Palamuru. She said he had not released a single rupee for the Palamuru–Rangareddy lift irrigation project. She pointed out that key schemes such as RDS, Tumilla, Dindi, and Palamuru–Rangareddy were still incomplete despite repeated assurances.

During the Telangana movement, she said, she had even visited Almatti to highlight risks to the state’s share of water. “If Karnataka is plotting against us, why does Revanth remain silent? Why not call Sonia Gandhi and press Siddaramaiah to stop?” she asked.