Calling for unity between the Telugu states on water sharing and river interlinking, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said political differences should not lead to hostility.

Speaking at the 3rd World Telugu Conference in Guntur on Monday — a day after Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy vowed to oppose the Polavaram–Nallamala Sagar Project — Naidu said large quantities of water from the Godavari and Krishna rivers were going to waste into the sea every year. He asserted that river interlinking projects such as Polavaram and the Krishna–Godavari linkage would address India’s long-standing water problems.

He appealed for cooperation between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, saying unity among Telugu people is essential for the progress of the Telugu language and community.

This comes a day after Reddy met senior advocate and Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi in Mumbai to discuss the state government’s strategy in the ongoing Polavaram–Nallamala legal dispute in the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court is hearing the Telangana government’s plea seeking a halt to expansion works, arguing, among other things, that the Andhra Pradesh government’s proposed linking of Polavaram to Banakacherla or Nallamala Sagar was undertaken without permissions.

Last November, the Andhra Pradesh government proposed a new project to divert surplus Godavari waters to drought-prone Rayalaseema and cancelled the Polavaram–Banakacherla link project opposed by Telangana. The Naidu government was keen on the Polavaram–Banakacherla link, which envisages diverting 200 TMC of Godavari floodwater from Polavaram to the Banakacherla regulator in Kurnool district.

With Telangana strongly opposing the project, the Centre decided in July to set up two separate expert committees comprising technical officials, central officers and state officials to resolve water disputes between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The move followed a meeting between Naidu, Reddy and Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil.

After talks and discussions, the Naidu government withdrew a tender notice issued on October 11 calling for a detailed project report on the Polavaram–Banakacherla link project.

Officials of the AP Water Resources Development Department said the new project aims to transfer water from Polavaram to the Nallamala Sagar under the Veligonda Project in Prakasam district. Naidu said the AP government wants to avoid controversy with Telangana.