HYDERABAD
Minister for Irrigation and Civil Supplies N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has blamed the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) dispensation for the present water (irrigation) crisis in the combined Mahabubnagar district as its neglect of South Telangana has made it vulnerable to the adverse weather conditions – such as the present El Nino impact.
The protests being staged by BRS leaders over the water situation in the erstwhile Mahabubnagar district is an attempt to divert public attention from their own failures, the Minister said in a statement on Tuesday. He admitted that farmers are undoubtedly facing hardship and the government is aware of their concerns.
However, the present situation must be understood honestly as it is the combined result of El Nino-induced water scarcity and the faulty irrigation policies pursued by the previous government for 10 years. El Nino has weakened the monsoon, delayed rainfall and caused long dry spells. Consequently, inflows into the Krishna basin reservoirs declined substantially, he said.
As on September 15, 2026, only about 120 tmc ft of live storage was available in the Krishna basin’s major and medium irrigation projects, against the total live storage capacity of 361 tmc ft – including in the Godavari basin projects.
The most damaging decision was taken by the previous government was in case of the Palamuru–Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme as against the original proposal of 2013 to lift about 70 tmc ft of Krishna floodwater from Jurala to irrigate nearly 10 lakh acres in Mahabubnagar, Rangareddy and Nalgonda districts, the source was changed to Srisailam reservoir, the Minister said.
Jurala as the source would have required lower pumping head and reduced the number and height of lifts, capital expenditure and recurring electricity costs. Reservoirs constructed around Jurala could have captured surplus floodwaters within Telangana and provided protection during deficient monsoon years, he explained.
The issue was not merely a change in the intake point but Telangana lost an opportunity to create a more economical, geographically secure and drought-resilient irrigation system for south Telangana. The BRS left behind expensive pumping infrastructure without completing the network required to deliver water reliably to farmers, he said.
The BRS also compromised Telangana’s Krishna water interests by accepting an ad hoc division of only 299 tmc ft for Telangana against 512 tmc ft for Andhra Pradesh, the Minister stated.
“Our government will manage the present scarcity transparently, accord the highest priority to drinking water and provide farmers with project-wise information about water availability and use every available drop of water,” the Minister reiterated.
Published – September 22, 2026 08:50 pm IST
