Telangana’s irrigation woes: Farmers bear the brunt amid political standoff

Telangana’s irrigation sector remains paralysed, with KLIP idle and PRLIS delayed, deepening rural distress. Critics accuse the Congress government of politicising core projects while farmers face crop losses, groundwater depletion and uncertainty over unresolved issues at the Medigadda barrage

Hyderabad: For the last two years, Telangana’s irrigation sector has remained mired in controversy and delays, with flagship projects like the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) lying idle despite desperate pleas from farmers for water while the Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Project has remained a non-starter, adding to the crop failures and economic distress.

The Congress-led government is facing accusations of politicising infrastructure issues, from the stalled PRLIS to ongoing disputes at the Medigadda barrage, with inter-State tensions due to controversial moves by Andhra Pradesh to gulp over and above its entitlement to Godavari and Krishna water adding to the chaos.

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Critics, including the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), point out that these lapses have cost farmers thousands of crores in losses since late 2023, fuelling protests and suicides in key agricultural belts. The plenty that has been witnessed by the farm sector is attributed largely to nature’s bounty with a prolonged monsoon that the reservoirs brimming even in December and marked improvement the irrigation sector witnessed during the BRS regime.

Kaleshwaram paralysis hits farmers hard

The Kaleshwaram project, envisioned to irrigate over 40 lakh acres by lifting Godavari waters, has been non-operational since October 2023 due to alleged structural failures at its Medigadda barrage, forcing farmers back to unreliable groundwater and monsoons. Paddy acreage in command areas like Karimnagar and Warangal dropped 15-20 per cent, with eight lakh acres left fallow in 2024 alone, leading to a shortfall of 5 lakh tonnes of paddy and Rs 5,000 crore in income losses from reduced cotton and maize yields.

In districts such as erstwhile Nalgonda, over 4.2 lakh acres of paddy withered, while groundwater levels plunged 3-5 metres in 2023-24. Farmers in Suryapet under SRSP Stage II canals reported wilting crops as KLIP pump houses remained shut.

Medigadda barrage – sabotage theory

Medigadda barrage, key component of the Kaleshwaram project on the Godavari, became a flashpoint after a couple of piers sank in October 2023, sparking a political row. The sabotage theory – to which structural issues in the KLIS barrage were largely attributed — was totally ignored by all probes, including the judicial commission headed by Justice PC Ghose, while the blame game targeting the BRS initiative to address water scarcity using Godavari water gained prominence.

Heavy monsoon inflows during 2024 and 2025 proved the structure’s resilience. The studies and investigations taken up by agencies including the NDSA remained inconclusive while the Congress government took nearly two years for structural studies that yielded no clear outcome. The NDSA investigations found no concrete evidence of issues with the design or quality of construction. Repairs for rehabilitation are now targeted for 2027. But farmers’ demands for interim pumping from running river flows continue to be ignored amid the ongoing blame game.

The Ghose Commission

Justice PC Ghose Commission was branded by critics as a Congress-orchestrated ‘revenge drama’ right from its inception. The report relied mainly on post-2023 NDSA and Vigilance findings, also commissioned under the Congress regime, while conveniently ignoring favourable technical opinions. As the Rabbi sowings begin across the Krishna and Godavari basins, Telangana’s 77 lakh farmers demand revived focus on irrigation projects over politics.

Palamuru project delayed

The Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme, aimed at stabilising water for 12.3 lakh acres in drought-prone Mahabubnagar, Nagarkurnool and surrounding districts, continues to languish despite assurances of completion by December 2027. Stage I pumping was commissioned in September 2023 during the BRS regime, with Stages II-IV nearing completion, but critics highlight the unjustified delay under the Congress regime.

Clearance hurdles coupled with loss of priority in funding under the Congress government rendered the project a neglected one. Farmers in Wanaparthy and Nagarkurnool express frustration over unfulfilled timelines, as reservoirs like Narlapur and Yedula await filling to their 50 TMC capacity, leaving vast tracts dependent on erratic rains.