Harish Rao demands immediate activation of Kaleshwaram motors to save crops

BRS leader T. Harish Rao has urged immediate activation of Kaleshwaram project pumps to fill key reservoirs amid scant rainfall. He warned that delays could worsen the irrigation crisis for farmers and called on the Congress government to prioritise water management.

Hyderabad: Former Irrigation Minister and senior BRS MLA T Harish Rao urged the immediate activation of Kaleshwaram project pumping motors to fill key reservoirs and avert a looming irrigation crisis for farmers.

In an open letter to Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy, Harish Rao said farmers were in deep distress due to scant rainfall and delayed release of water. The government failed to fill various reservoirs on time during the current monsoon crop season, he said, demanding that the Nandi Pump House at Package-6 be switched on without delay to utilise the heavy inflows in Godavari River.

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“Water should be pumped into reservoirs including Mid Manair, Annapurna (Anantagiri), Ranganayaka Sagar, Mallanna Sagar, Konda Pochamma Sagar and Baswapur, which are all integral to the Kaleshwaram project and together can irrigation around five lakh acres,” he added.

The BRS leader noted that the Sripada Yellampally reservoir, with a full capacity of 20 TMCft, presently holds 14 TMCft and is receiving 22,300 cusecs of inflow, while Sriram Sagar Project (SRSP) holds 45 TMCft against its 80 TMCft capacity. He also called for water to be moved from Mid Manair to Lower Manair Dam (LMD), which currently holds only 7 TMCft against its 24 TMCft capacity, to support SRSP Stage-II ayacut for both Vanakalam (Kharif) and Yasangi (Rabi) crops.

With heavy rains increasing inflows into the Godavari, he said every drop from the upper reaches must be utilised to fill reservoirs, tanks, and check dams to irrigate nearly five lakh acres. He reminded that in the last Yasangi season, five lakh acres were cultivated with water from Kaleshwaram reservoirs.

He urged the Congress government to rise above politics and ensure all canals, ponds, and check dams linked to the project were filled to ensure irrigation for the upcoming Yasangi season and remove uncertainty among farmers. Any delay would only deepen the crisis for farmers dependent on the monsoon rains, he warned.