Harish Rao rips into Congress govt over halting Devadula pumps, says water being surrendered to AP

BRS leader T Harish Rao accused the Congress government of crippling the Devadula Lift Irrigation Project by keeping pumps idle despite adequate Godavari flows, alleging neglect of farmers and failure to protect Telangana’s water interests

Warangal: The Devadula Lift Irrigation Project has once again turned into a political flashpoint, with BRSLP deputy leader T Harish Rao stating that the Congress government was crippling irrigation infrastructure and abandoning farmers in Telangana. He alleged that the government was deliberately keeping pumps idle, while releasing water downstream, effectively surrendering Telangana’s water rights to Andhra Pradesh.

After inspecting the Devannapet pump houses in erstwhile Warangal district on Friday, Harish Rao stood before three non-functional motors and questioned why they remained shut despite substantial flow in the Godavari River. “There is water in the river, farmers need water, and yet the motors are silent. How can the government justify this?” he asked.

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Citing official data, he said nearly 16,000 cusecs were flowing near Sammakka Sagar, but the Devannapet pumps were not operating. He described the situation as part of a continuing pattern of neglect and accused the government of being indifferent to the plight of farmers in erstwhile Warangal district.

The former Irrigation Minister stated that repeated pump failures and delayed maintenance had already caused heavy losses. Last year, crops on about 60,000 acres reportedly dried up because pumps were not operated. He said maintenance dues of Rs.8 crore were not cleared in time, stalling operations until protests forced the release of funds and by then, crop losses had mounted to an estimated Rs.700 crore.

He added that for the past 10 days, water supply to Jangaon, Palakurthi and Station Ghanpur had been disrupted. The Gandiramaram lifts were also non-functional, leaving farmers anxious over withering crops, he said.

Contrasting the present with the BRS tenure, Harish Rao said 99 per cent of Phase-III works under Devadula were completed earlier, including a 49.5-km tunnel from Ramappa to Utsavcherla and a 155-metre-deep pump house. He stated the project capacity was enhanced from 25 TMCft to 60 TMCft and the ayacut expanded from 47,000 acres in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh to over 3.17 lakh acres in Telangana under BRS regime.

The BRSLP deputy leader said the progress stalled under the Congress regime. “Not a single inch of soil has been removed in the past two and a half years,” he said. Despite promises to provide irrigation to 12 lakh acres in phases, he said no new acreage had been added and even existing capacity was underutilised. He pointed out that at Bhim Ghanpur, lifts capable of drawing 2,160 cusecs per minute were operating at around 1,700 cusecs.

He accused the government of failing to protect Telangana’s interests in both the Godavari and Krishna basins. He alleged that water meant for Telangana farmers was being released downstream while local ayacut remained dry.

Harish Rao also flagged delays in Rythu Bharosa assistance disbursement for the Yasangi season and sought clarity on the promised crop bonus. Accusing the government of prioritising contractor payments over farmer support, he demanded immediate operationalisation of all Devadula motors and supply of water to the existing ayacut. He warned that continued inaction would deepen agrarian distress in Warangal and adjoining districts.