Chhattisgarh CM agrees to grant NOC to Sammakka Sagar Project

Telangana Minister for Irrigation N. Uttam Kumar Reddy meeting Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai in Raipur on Monday September 22 , 2025 . | Photo Credit: By Arrangement

The decision comes after Minister for Irrigation N. Uttam Kumar Reddy meets CM Vishnu Deo in Raipur on Monday September 22, 2025

In a significant development likely to pave way for early completion of the Sammakka Sagar Project being constructed across the Godavari river near Thupakulagudem in Mulugu district, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai has given in-principle approval to grant a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the project.

The decision is the outcome of a meeting of Telangana Minister for Irrigation and Civil Supplies N. Uttam Kumar Reddy with Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Vishnu Deo Sai at Raipur on Monday September 22, 2025 . The Minister was accompanied by senior officials of the Irrigation department.

Briefing the media after the meeting, Uttam Kumar Reddy thanked the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister for his positive response and described the decision as a long-awaited step towards realising the project. He stated that he had submitted a memorandum outlining Telangana’s commitment to take full responsibility for land acquisition, compensation and rehabilitation in Chhattisgarh. He stressed that the NOC was the final interstate requirement before the Central Water Commission could give its approval.

In his PowerPoint presentation before the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister, Uttam Kumar Reddy informed that the Sammakka Sagar Barrage was being constructed at Tupakulagudem in Mulugu district. Designed with a storage capacity of 6.7 TMC at Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of +83 metres, it is located on the Godavari, downstream of Indravathi’s confluence with it. He explained that the project was conceived to address the acute water needs of Telangana, especially in the drought-prone and fluoride-affected districts of combined Nalgonda and Warangal.

The Minister stated that the project would not only help tackle drinking water scarcity in the areas but would also provide irrigation benefits on a large scale. According to project plans, the Sammakka Sagar Project will stabilise an ayacut of 1.78 lakh hectares (about 4.4 lakh acres) under the Sriramsagar Project Stage-II and create a new ayacut of 12,146 hectares (over 30,000 acres) under the Ramappa–Pakhal Link Canal.

This additional irrigation potential would benefit Warangal, Suryapet, Mahabubabad, Jangaon and Khammam districts along with Nalgonda. The project is expected to transform agriculture in these areas, reducing the risks associated with recurring droughts and ensuring more reliable water supply for crops. The Minister noted that this would directly contribute to higher agricultural productivity and secure livelihoods for farmers who have struggled with uncertainty for decades.

He underlined the drinking water component pointing out that Nalgonda and parts of Warangal have long been affected by groundwater contamination due to excessive fluoride levels. The Sammakka Sagar Project was designed to reduce this dependence on groundwater by providing safe river-based water supplies. By addressing both irrigation and drinking water needs, the project was expected to serve as a lifeline for millions of people in Telangana’s most vulnerable regions.

Uttam Kumar Reddy acknowledged that while Telangana would benefit extensively, the project’s backwaters would extend into Bhopalpatnam tahsil of Bijapur district in Chhattisgarh, resulting in submergence. He explained that about 13.06 hectares of land, 54.03 hectares of river area and 6.35 hectares of nala land would be affected. Telangana would address these concerns appropriately.