Telangana CM, Irrigation Minister seek water from Karnataka to save crops in Palamuru

Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy have requested the Karnataka government to release water from the Upper Krishna river system to help save standing crops under stress in the erstwhile Mahabubnagar district.

Mr. Uttam Kumar Reddy said Telangana had taken up the matter with the Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar in view of the difficult water situation in the Krishna basin and the urgent requirement of farmers dependent on the Jurala irrigation system.

He said Karnataka was requested to consider releasing some water from the Narayanpur reservoir so that additional inflows could reach Jurala project and provide relief to farmers whose standing crops were under stress.

“We have explained the situation and requested them to release some water. They have said they will examine the availability and get back to us,” he said.

The Irrigation Minister pointed out that the present situation required careful management of the limited water available in the reservoirs. Any releases for irrigation, he said, had to be calibrated keeping in view the need to maintain drinking-water security if the dry conditions continued.

The Minister said the present crisis also underlined the importance of creating adequate storage infrastructure in the upper reaches of the Krishna within Telangana.