Telangana to Move SC Challenging Karnataka Government’s Plan on Almatti Dam Height

By The Vagabond News | November 6, 2025

What’s unfolding

The government of Telangana has resolved to file a fresh petition in the Supreme Court of India (SC) against the neighbouring Karnataka government’s move to increase the water‐storage height of the Almatti Dam on the Krishna River. Legal advisers and state officials say the escalation arose after Karnataka’s cabinet decision on September 17 to raise the dam’s height from 519.6 metres to 524.256 metres. (Hindustan Times)
Telangana’s irrigation department has prepared detailed documentation outlining potential adverse impacts of the height increase on its irrigation and drinking‐water schemes. A senior official confirmed that the petition will include an interlocutory application (IA) seeking the SC’s intervention. (Hindustan Times)

Telangana’s concerns

The state argues that raising the dam height upstream will reduce its share of Krishna‐river water flows and adversely affect key irrigation projects in its southern districts (such as Mahabubnagar and Nalgonda). (Telangana Today)
Telangana officials claim that the real storage of Almatti till now has been restricted to 519.6 metres by the Supreme Court, despite structural completion permitting 524.256 metres, making the new move an attempted override of judicial constraints. (Hindustan Times)
The state has also accused Karnataka of fast‐tracking land acquisition (75,663 acres) and sanctioning ₹70,000 crore for rehabilitation in vulnerable areas that would be submerged if the dam elevation goes ahead. (Hindustan Times)

Karnataka’s position

Karnataka maintains that the dam was always designed for the higher full reservoir level and that failure to raise the height renders large investments under the Upper Krishna Project Phase III ineffective. The state cites the decision of the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal II (KWDT-II) which had permitted impounding up to 524.256 metres in its final award (later stayed by the SC). (Hindustan Times)

What happens next

Telangana is expected to approach the SC with an IA seeking:
- An injunction blocking any further height elevation of Almatti until the case is concluded.
- A declaration upholding its entitlement to its share of Krishna water under the tribunal award.
The KWDT-II hearing is also in progress; Telangana may use outcomes from that proceeding to bolster its SC case. (The Times of India)
The Centre may be drawn into mediation or may need to respond to inter‐state water allocation complications.
If SC grants relief, Karnataka’s reservoir elevation plans may be delayed, with ripple effects for projects and farmers in both states.

Why it matters

This dispute is not merely technical: it strikes at inter‐state water federalism, downstream vs upstream rights, and the balance between large infrastructure and local irrigation needs.
Telangana’s strong stance signals heightened sensitivity ahead of elections and increasing mobilisation of agrarian interests.
The outcome could set legal precedent for how dam height changes upstream are handled when downstream states claim threat to their rights.