HYDERABAD
The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has demanded that the State Government enable farmers of the ayacut under projects linked to the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project to take up cultivation of Kharif crops early by switching on the motors of Kannepally pump house as lifting of 2 tmc ft of water every day is still possible.
Former Minister for Irrigation T. Harish Rao warned that if the government failed to switch on the motors of Kalwakurthy LIS early, the Opposition party would lead the ayacut farmers to the pump house to switch on the motors of Kalwakurthy, Kannepally and other pump houses on their own.
Commencing the lifting of water at Kannepally pump house would provide water for irrigation in 15 districts, but the Congress government was foregoing the opportunity as the Chief Minister himself would not know the value of water, he said at a press conference on Sunday.
He pointed out that water withdrawal from the Kalwakurthy lift irrigation scheme was not taken up so far, though Srisailam project was getting flooded from May 30 itself, and as on Sunday morning, the reservoir had received over 172 tmc ft water with the help of early rains in Maharashtra and Karnataka.
He mentioned that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy had given away 65 tmc ft additional water to Andhra Pradesh during the last year as Telangana had underutilised its share — only 28% of 811 tmc ft against 34% — for the first time since the formation of Telangana.
Due to this, crop holiday was implemented in several areas of the combined Mahabubnagar and Nalgonda districts during the second crop season last year (2024-25) as water was drawn by A.P. for the third crop, Mr. Harish Rao said and added that the Congress government was trying to repeat the same this year too by delaying water withdrawal as also the first crop season under the Krishna Basin projects.
He said the government could run all lift irrigation schemes and fill linked reservoirs, minor irrigation tanks and check-dams to allow farmers to take up Kharif crops early so that water could be stored for the second crop too.
