Srinivas Goud accuses Congress of wasting Krishna and Godavari floodwaters

Former Minister V Srinivas Goud accused the Telangana government of failing to utilise floodwaters from the Krishna and Godavari rivers. He demanded immediate operation of all lift irrigation schemes, completion of the Palamuru-Rangareddy project and measures to safeguard the State's water interests.

Hyderabad: Former Minister V Srinivas Goud accused the Congress government of failing to utilise the floodwaters flowing into the Krishna and Godavari basins. He demanded that all lift irrigation schemes be operated to fill Telangana’s reservoirs and meet agricultural needs.

Addressing a press conference at Telangana Bhavan on Thursday, Srinivas Goud said heavy rains in the upper reaches of the Krishna and Godavari rivers were bringing substantial inflows, with the Jurala project receiving heavy floodwater. However, he said the government was allowing water to flow downstream in the name of power generation instead of storing it in available reservoirs.

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“Every pump should be switched on,” he said, opposing the government’s reported approach of reserving water primarily for drinking purposes. He asserted that agriculture cannot be denied irrigation when river flows are available.

The former Minister claimed that the Kaleshwaram project was designed during the previous BRS government to help Telangana withstand drought conditions. However, he said the Congress government was not operating pumps at Kannepalli due to political motives. He pointed out that water was now being lifted from the Sripada Yellampalli project using lift infrastructure established as part of the Kaleshwaram project.

He also warned of serious consequences for Telangana if Karnataka increased the height of the Almatti project. Stating that Karnataka was moving ahead rapidly with the proposal, he urged Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to intervene and prevent the height increase, failing which it would have an adverse impact on the erstwhile Mahabubnagar and Nalgonda districts.

Welcoming the environmental clearances for the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme, Srinivas Goud demanded that the government complete it within six months and immediately invite tenders for canal works.

Former MLA Beeram Harshavardhan Reddy alleged that the government was deliberately denying irrigation water to farmers in the Palamuru region. He demanded that all pumps be operated and reservoirs filled. He warned of a farmers’ agitation if restrictions on the supply of irrigation water were not withdrawn.