Telangana to prioritise drinking water over irrigation till June: Uttam Kumar Reddy

Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy said Telangana will prioritise drinking water over irrigation until June next year amid deficient rainfall. Farmers have been advised to avoid water-intensive crops, while the Kaleshwaram barrages will remain non-operational pending scientific clearance.

Hyderabad: Sounding the death knell for farmers who have commenced cultivation in the State, Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Monday declared that the State would prioritise drinking water over irrigation until June next year. Notwithstanding the suggestions from irrigation engineers and experts to operate the Kannepalli pumps and lift Godavari River water, he ruled it out until their rehabilitation is scientifically validated.

Reviewing drought preparedness in the erstwhile Nalgonda district, Uttam Kumar Reddy said the State would conserve available reservoir water for drinking purposes if rainfall remained deficient. He said the government could even seek emergency releases of Krishna water from Karnataka if the drinking water situation became critical.

---

The Minister advised farmers against cultivating water-intensive paddy in areas without assured irrigation or groundwater and directed officials to promote less water-consuming crops. Departments were instructed to closely monitor reservoir levels, issue alerts before water sources reached critical levels, and keep tankers, borewells and Mission Bhagiratha infrastructure ready for emergencies.

Officials informed that irrigation water from the Nagarjuna Sagar Project could not be assured under the prevailing conditions, while irrigation under SRSP Stage-II for about 2.13 lakh acres had also been ruled out. Of the 1,220 irrigation tanks reviewed, about 850 were found to have less than 50 per cent storage.

Agriculture and horticulture officials were asked to encourage farmers to shift to less water-consuming crops such as green gram, sesame and vegetables, besides providing village-level and crop-specific guidance.

The government’s decision comes even as it continues to refrain from utilising the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme, despite persistent demands from the Opposition to operate the project to address the emerging water shortage.

Earlier in the day, Uttam Kumar Reddy said the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages would remain non-operational until scientific investigations were completed and rehabilitation works received statutory safety approvals.

He said investigations by institutions such as the Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS) and the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) were nearing completion, with the findings forwarded to IIT Bombay for the preparation of rehabilitation designs. The final restoration plan would be implemented only after scrutiny by the National Dam Safety Authority, the Central Water Commission and the Union government’s Technical Oversight Committee.