Kannepally pumps remain idle despite water availability, BRS slams govt
The BRS on Saturday alleged that the Congress government in Telangana had failed to operate the Kannepally pump house to lift available Godavari water, aggravating drinking water shortages in Hyderabad and affecting irrigation needs. During a visit to Medigadda, party leaders claimed water was continuing to flow downstream and accused the government of delaying repairs to key barrages and neglecting water management for political reasons.
Hyderabad: The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) accused the Congress government of ignoring repeated demands to lift Godavari water through the Kannepally pump house. The party maintained that the government’s failure to operate the pumps had contributed to a drinking water crisis, particularly in Hyderabad.
BRS MLAs Devireddy Sudheer Reddy, KP Vivekanand, Rajashekhar Reddy, Madhavaram Krishna Rao and other senior leaders visited Medigadda on Saturday to inspect the water flow from the barrage. They said substantial quantities of water were still flowing downstream towards the sea.
Since June, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) has been receiving complaints about inadequate drinking water supplies to households. Protests were also held at the board’s Khairatabad office, LB Nagar MLA D Sudheer Reddy said.
He said officials had assured them there would be no water shortage when questioned about the measures being taken to address the drinking water crisis.
Sudheer Reddy said the government only needed to operate the Kannepally pumps and lift the available water. However, the pumps had not been switched on. The pump house could lift 2,600 cusecs of water daily through its 17 motors, he said.
“Had the water been lifted in time, 20 lakh acres under the Sriram Sagar and Nizam Sagar ayacuts would have received sufficient water. This would have avoided the drinking water problem for Hyderabad as well,” Sudheer Reddy said.
The BRS MLAs alleged that the Congress government had deliberately delayed repairs to Medigadda and the two other barrages despite repeated appeals to restore their operations. They claimed the delays had continued for the past three years.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy was reluctant to lift Godavari water through the Kannepally pump house because the BRS would receive credit for the move and his claims about the Kaleshwaram project would be exposed, Sudheer Reddy alleged.
Former Minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao said the Chief Minister had given up on addressing the State’s water and power crises. He warned that the situation could continue for another 10 months.
Dayakar Rao said there was still an opportunity to lift water from Medigadda. He recalled that former Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao had challenged the government to lift water. However, he alleged that Revanth Reddy had delayed repairs and failed to lift water over the past three years for political reasons.
“It was not just about Medigadda. Water had flowed down from Devadula. Why were the pump sets not operated at the project for three months?” Dayakar Rao asked. He said crops had dried up in Palakurthy, Jangaon and other constituencies.
Dayakar Rao also said the BRS government had ensured an adequate supply of safe drinking water to households through Mission Bhagiratha. He alleged that supplies under the scheme had stopped over the past few months, forcing people to rely on borewell water.
“When other Chief Ministers purchased power in advance, Revanth Reddy should be ashamed for his failure to purchase power,” Dayakar Rao said.
Qutbullapur MLA KP Vivekanand warned that the BRS would stage protests with empty pots outside the Chief Minister’s residence if the Congress government failed to address drinking water shortages.
He also accused Revanth Reddy of continuing to criticise the BRS government instead of repairing the Medigadda barrage, alleging that political motives had delayed the work.
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