Uttam Kumar Reddy blames BRS for Telangana’s El Nino challenges

Telangana Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy blamed the previous BRS government and the construction of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme for the state's reduced ability to cope with drought conditions during the El Nino period.

Hyderabad: Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy blamed the previous BRS government for Telangana’s difficulties in dealing with the El Nino crisis. He said the State would have been better equipped to withstand the prevailing drought conditions but for the construction of Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS).

Uttam Kumar said water could not be lifted from the Medigadda barrage as the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) had specifically instructed the State to keep the gates of the Medigadda, Sundilla and Annaram barrages open. The pump house could not be operated while the gates remained open, he said at a press conference here on Saturday.

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However, the NDSA had told the High Court that the decision to lift water from the barrages rested with the State government, in contrast to the Minister’s statement.

The Minister reiterated that a broad timeline had been finalised for the rehabilitation of the three barrages. Conceptual designs were completed by the end of September, while estimates and government approvals are targeted for the end of October. Agencies are expected to be mobilised by the end of November, with work scheduled to begin by the end of December.

“The overall target is to complete rehabilitation before the next monsoon in 2027, subject to technical clearances and implementation progress,” Uttam Kumar said.

A coordination committee comprising technical experts and senior officials from the Irrigation and CAD Department, the Central Designs Organisation and the State Dam Safety Organisation has been constituted. The committee will coordinate the rehabilitation programme in line with NDSA recommendations.

Uttam Kumar said the rehabilitation designs and additional works would undergo technical scrutiny by the Technical Oversight Committee and the Central Water Commission (CWC).

The department is also planning an integrated instrumentation and monitoring system to track seepage, uplift pressures and structural behaviour during and after the rehabilitation work. The proposed designs envisage extending the stilling basins at Medigadda and Annaram to 66 metres each and at Sundilla to 58 metres. Their existing lengths are 46.8 metres, 45 metres and 30 metres, respectively.