The Rayalaseema Intellectuals Forum on Sunday (January 04, 2026) urged the Andhra Pradesh government to respond firmly to the recent statements made by Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy regarding the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Project and to safeguard the region’s water rights.
In a statement issued here, Forum Convenor Makireddy Purushottam Reddy said that the Telangana Chief Minister’s claim on the floor of the Assembly that he had ensured the suspension of the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Project was objectionable and amounted to an attack on the legitimate water rights of Rayalaseema. He demanded an official response from the A.P. government to prevent further erosion of the State’s rights.
He said that Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation is a necessity and a rightful entitlement of the drought-prone region. The Krishna and Tungabhadra rivers flow through Rayalaseema, and projects such as HLC, LLC, SRBC, Gundrevula, and Byravanathippa, together, have sanctioned allocations of 133.5 TMC. Due to reduced flood days and siltation at the Srisailam reservoir, lifting water from upstream has become essential, he said.
Taking into account the changed hydrological conditions, former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy had conceptualised the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Project to supply up to three TMC of water per day from the 800-foot level of Srisailam to meet the needs of major Rayalaseema projects, including the crucial Pothireddypadu head regulator, the Forum said.
