B Vinod Kumar urges Telangana to use Kaleshwaram project for water security

Former MP B Vinod Kumar urged the Telangana government to use the Kaleshwaram project to lift Godavari water through the Kannepalli pump house, warning that deficient rainfall due to El Niño could trigger a drinking water crisis if timely action is not taken.

Hyderabad: Former MP B Vinod Kumar urged the Congress government to set aside politics and prioritise Telangana’s water interests by lifting Godavari river water through the Kannepalli pump house. He suggested that the government stop using the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) report as an excuse and utilise the Kaleshwaram project whenever water was available at Medigadda.

With El Niño threatening deficient rainfall, he warned that Telangana, including Hyderabad, could face a severe drinking water crisis if timely measures were not taken.

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Addressing a press conference at Telangana Bhavan on Wednesday, Vinod Kumar maintained that the NDSA was only an advisory body and that implementation of its recommendations was not mandatory. He alleged that the Congress and BJP had colluded during the 2023 Assembly elections and used the NDSA report as a pretext to target the Kaleshwaram project.

Asserting that the State remained the owner of the project and that water was a State subject, the former MP questioned why the Centre had supported repairs to the Polavaram project and had not ordered an NDSA inquiry despite major damage. However, he said the NDSA’s findings were being repeatedly invoked in Telangana to target the previous BRS government for political reasons.

He expressed disappointment that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy did not take up the NDSA issue with the Centre during their recent visit to Delhi. He urged the government to prioritise Telangana’s long-term water security over political goals.