Congress ignoring El Nino threat, alleges Vinod Kumar

Former BRS MP B Vinod Kumar accused the Congress government of ignoring warnings of an El Nino-induced drought and failing to utilise Godavari waters through the Kaleshwaram project, warning that the State could face a severe drinking water crisis next summer.

Hyderabad: With concerns mounting over a possible El Nino-induced drought, former BRS MP B Vinod Kumar on Friday accused the Congress government of ignoring early warning signs and failing to utilise the available waters of the Godavari River through the Kaleshwaram project. He said the Congress government was wasting the opportunity to store 4 TMCft of water from the Godavari River by not operating the Kannepalli pumps.

Speaking to mediapersons at Telangana Bhavan here, Vinod Kumar said the Centre had recently alerted all States, including Telangana, about the likely impact of El Nino and advised them to conserve reservoir water. He warned that below-normal rainfall could make the summer of 2027 severe, but alleged that the State government remained preoccupied with political confrontations instead of drought preparedness.

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Citing Central Water Commission data, he said around 45,000 cusecs of water was flowing near Kagaznagar and 15,000 cusecs had already reached the Lakshmi Barrage, with nearly 4 TMCft expected to pass through the barrage over the next 24 hours. However, he said the government was allowing the water to flow downstream into the sea by failing to operate the Kannepalli pumps.

Vinod Kumar held Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy responsible for delaying repairs to the Medigadda barrage and keeping them pending for over two-and-a-half years, which otherwise could have been completed within five months. “Even temporary measures such as a rubber dam or sand bund could enable pumping operations,” he argued, warning that continued inaction could leave the State facing an acute drinking water crisis next summer.

He urged the government to immediately restore pumping operations at the Medigadda barrage, asserting that only the Kaleshwaram project could help Telangana withstand the looming El Nino threat.