BRS pressure forces Congress government to seek Karnataka water release

The Telangana government has approached Karnataka seeking 5,000 cusecs of Krishna water continuously for a month to meet irrigation and drinking water needs in the Palamuru region. The move follows demands by farmers and the BRS to protect standing crops.

Hyderabad: Heeding the pressure exerted by the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) to release water from the Jurala Project and protect standing crops, the Congress government finally approached the Karnataka government, seeking the release of 5,000 cusecs continuously for one month. For the past few days, farmers have been appealing to the State government to release water from the Jurala Project. However, the government did not respond to their pleas. Extending support to the farming community, the BRS had demanded the immediate release of water from the project.

Following mounting pressure from farmers and the BRS, Congress Ministers, including Jupally Krishna Rao and Vakiti Srihari, along with Jogulamba Gadwal MLA Bandla Krishna Mohan Reddy and Devarkadra MLA G Madhusudan Reddy, left for Bengaluru on Tuesday to meet Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar. Ministers Vakiti Srihari and Jupally Krishna Rao, along with MLAs Bandla Krishna Mohan Reddy, Madhusudan Reddy and Megha Reddy, are scheduled to meet Shivakumar to request the release of water to the Jurala Project.

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Citing the hardships faced by farmers in the Palamuru region due to the impact of El Nino, the delegation intends to request the Karnataka government to release water in phases to meet irrigation needs and provide drinking water to the people. It is learnt that the Ministers are appealing to Shivakumar to release 5,000 cusecs of Krishna water continuously for one month.

During his visit to Pebbair on Saturday, BRS working president KT Rama Rao pointed out that the Congress government was in power in Karnataka. He demanded that the Revanth Reddy government appeal to its counterpart, Shivakumar, and secure at least 5 tmcft of water to protect the interests of farmers.

He also warned that the Congress government would not be spared if crops even on one acre were allowed to wither.

Against this backdrop, the BRS, along with farmers, tried to stage a protest at the Jurala Project on Monday. However, heavy police deployment at the project prevented the farmers and BRS leaders from reaching the protest venue. Tension prevailed as heated arguments broke out between the farmers and police.

People recall TRS government’s initiative in 2019

Meanwhile, different sections have recalled the swift initiative taken by the then TRS government in 2019 when the erstwhile Palamuru region faced a severe drinking water shortage.

In 2019, then Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao spoke to his Karnataka counterpart HD Kumaraswamy over the phone on April 30 and urged him to release 3 tmcft of water, citing the drinking water crisis in Palamuru. Responding positively, the Karnataka government immediately released 2.5 tmcft of water from Narayanpur to Jurala.

Recalling the gesture, people have taken to social media to share news clippings and videos of water being released from Karnataka to Jurala.