Several Telangana districts face irrigation crisis as 29 projects receive no big monsoon inflows yet

With just 42.48% of Kharif sowing complete, Telangana’s irrigation sector is reeling under a severe water crisis. Low reservoir levels and poor monsoon inflows have stalled operations across 29 major and medium projects, leaving farmers anxious and fields parched.

Hyderabad: Nearly one and a half months into the new water year, Telangana’s 29 major and medium irrigation projects including several under the flagship Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP), are facing a severe water crisis due to negligible monsoon inflows and critically low storage levels.

As a result, vast stretches of agricultural land are without irrigation support, with cropping schedules pending review until adequate inflows are received. Farmers are now staring at an uncertain Kharif season.

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Key projects such as Dindi, Sriram Sagar Project (SRSP), Sadarmat Anicut, Saraswathi Canal, SRSP Kakatiya Canal, Lakhnavaram, and Palem Vagu are still awaiting inflows. Many farmers who took a chance on early sowing are now watching their seedbeds wither.

The Mid Manair and Upper Manair reservoirs, serving ayacuts of 53,224 acres and 13,085 acres respectively for Vanakalam (Kharif), have seen no major water releases. Mid Manair currently holds less than 7 TMC of its 25.87 TMC capacity, while Upper Manair, with a gross capacity of 2.2 TMC, is down to less than 0.5 TMC due to poor inflows from their catchments.

SRSP, which supports 1,42,864 acres below the Lower Manair Dam (LMD), is unable to provide water, affecting a cascade of dependent projects. The Manthani Lift Irrigation Scheme, meant for an ayacut of 20,000 acres, has not resumed operations this season.

In the Adilabad circle, the Sadarmat Anicut (1,310 acres) and the Gadde Vagu project have seen no Kharif activity due to water scarcity. The irrigation department has deferred the Vanakalam action plan for these projects, along with SRSP, until inflows improve.

In Mancherial, projects like Gollavagu, Rallavagu, Nilavai, and NTR Sagar are at minimum storage levels with no inflows recorded. In Nizamabad, the Aliagar, Gutpa, and Hanmanth Reddy Lift Irrigation Schemes—serving nearly 1 lakh acres—remain dry.

Jagityal district is facing scarcity for 1.77 lakh acres under SRSP (above LMD), while Warangal’s Kakatiya Canal (2,29,623 acres) and SRSP canal system (92,087 acres) have no supplies. In Mulugu, the Palem Vagu, Lakhnavaram, and Malluruvagu projects are also affected. In Suryapet, 2.2 lakh acres under SRSP Stage-II remain without water. The Dindi project in Nalgonda, which serves 13,000 acres, is yet to receive any supply.

Sriram Sagar’s current storage stands at 20.8 TMC against its 90 TMC capacity. At Yellampalli, storage is 8.65 TMC out of 20 TMC, with inflows below 700 cusecs, raising concerns for both irrigation and drinking water needs.

The state’s monsoon deficit—with only 165.5 mm of rainfall recorded against a normal of 186.4 mm (an -11% deviation)—has further worsened the situation, slowing Kharif sowing to just 42.48% of the target area.