Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai has given in-principle approval to grant a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to Telangana for the Sammakkasagar project on the Godavari river, a crucial step for the project’s progress.

The decision followed a meeting with Telangana’s Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy, who assured full responsibility for land acquisition, compensation, and rehabilitation in Chhattisgarh. The NOC is the final interstate clearance required before the Central Water Commission can approve the project. Sammakkasagar, located at Tupakulagudem in Mulugu district, is designed with a storage capacity of 6.7 tmcft to address water scarcity in drought-prone, fluoride-affected districts like Nalgonda and Warangal.

The project aims to stabilise 1.78 lakh hectares under the Sriramsagar Project Stage-II and create an additional 12,146 hectares of irrigated land, benefiting multiple districts. It also aims to provide safe drinking water by reducing dependence on fluoride-contaminated groundwater. Some land submergence in Chhattisgarh’s Bhoopalpatnam tehsil is acknowledged, with Telangana addressing related concerns seriously.