BRS accuses Revanth Reddy of worsening Telangana drought over Kaleshwaram water

Hyderabad: The BRS accused Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy of aggravating the drought in Telangana by refusing to lift available Godavari River water through the Kaleshwaram project,y to deny political credit to former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao. They said the government allowed water to flow downstream despite an opportunity to operate the pumps and provide relief to farmers.

Addressing a press conference at Telangana Bhavan here on Monday, BRS MLA D Sudheer Reddy said there was a flow of around 20,000 cusecs near Kannepalli at present and urged the government to lift water. He pointed to the National Dam Safety Authority’s report also indicated that water could be lifted from Kannepallid. He said the available water could have been utilised for 80 to 120 days, and stated that the government used the NDSA as an excuse to keep the pumps idle.

He questioned the police for preventing BRS leaders from entering the Kannepalli pump house during their visit, which raised suspicions. He cited Devadula, Sitarama and Pattiseema projects to argue that water could be lifted without a barrage. He said the government switched on Devadula pumps for only a day or two after the Opposition raised the issue, before shutting them down again.

The BRS MLC also criticised the Centre for failing to give clear directions on the use of Kaleshwaram and accused union Ministers of remaining silent while farmers faced shortages of irrigation and drinking water. He warned that Hyderabad could face drinking water problems if the government continued to neglect water resources.

Former Minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao said Telangana had no drought mandals during the BRS regime, but the State was now facing crop losses and distress under the Congress rule. Recalling the protests over the Srisailam Right Bank Canal and Babli project during the earlier Congress government, he said the BRS had fought for Telangana’s water rights, including in the Supreme Court.

He challenged Revanth Reddy to visit villages without police protection and assess the situation, alleging that farmers were facing inadequate irrigation, power shortages and financial distress. He demanded that all affected mandals be declared drought-hit and farmers provided financial assistance. He also questioned the delay in repairing Medigadda barrage, asking why the government had not entrusted the work to the BRS, which had offered to complete it within three months.