KTR slams Telangana government over release of Godavari waters amid rain deficit

BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao criticised the Telangana government for allowing Godavari floodwaters to flow downstream despite water scarcity and deficient rainfall. He urged the government to operate the Kannepalli pump house and utilise the Kaleshwaram project to support farmers.

Hyderabad: BRS working president KT Rama Rao came down heavily on the Congress government for allowing Godavari River floodwaters flow downstream even as Telangana farmers in large parts of the State grappled with acute water scarcity and mounting agricultural distress due to deficient rainfall. He said the government was displaying greater indifference, despite the worsening conditions.

Raising concern over the rain deficit and the looming El Nino impact, Rama Rao said lakhs of cusecs of water were flowing downstream from Medigadda barrage, while farmers were struggling to begin sowing and transplantation due to inadequate rainfall. He questioned why the government had failed to operate the Kannepalli pump house to lift water through the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme and protect crops.

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Targeting Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, the BRS working president said the government prioritised political vendetta against the BRS and making farmers suffer by refusing to utilise the Kaleshwaram project. Stating that Kaleshwaram was designed to harness Godavari River floodwaters during such periods, he said the project had proved its relevance even in drought-like conditions.

He urged the government to stop its political campaign against the project and instead use the available water to safeguard agriculture. He also appealed to farmers to question the government’s callous approach, asserting that political rivalry should not come at the cost of Telangana’s farming community.