Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has sought the release of 5 TMC of water from Karnataka’s Narayanpur reservoir to the Jurala project to support drought-hit farmers in the combined Mahbubnagar district, with Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar responding positively to the request, according to sources cited by the Times of India.
Revanth spoke to Shivakumar over the phone and explained the irrigation crisis in the district, where standing crops are facing drought-like conditions amid the reported impact of El Nino. Telangana has asked that the water be released in phases rather than in one operation, a request conveyed by a delegation of ministers and MLAs that met the Karnataka chief minister in Bengaluru on Tuesday night.
The delegation included Telangana tourism and excise minister Jupally Krishna Rao, youth services and sports minister Vakiti Srihari, and MLAs Bandla Krishna Mohan Reddy, T Megha Reddy and G Madhusudan Reddy. The team submitted a memorandum and thanked Shivakumar for responding positively to Revanth’s appeal.
Before travelling to Bengaluru, the delegation met Revanth and irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy at the Telangana secretariat. The state government had written to the Karnataka chief minister on Sunday seeking the release, according to statements made by the ministers at a media conference.
If Karnataka releases water from Narayanpur, it could take three days or more to reach Jurala. The proposed transfer is therefore dependent not only on Karnataka’s response but also on the timing and manner of the release. Telangana ministers said the water was being sought in phases to address farm requirements while taking account of drinking-water needs in the coming months.
The Jurala water issue has gained political significance as farmers have protested over irrigation supplies. The Bharat Rashtra Samithi has supported the protests, while the Bharatiya Janata Party has also raised the issue. Telangana minister Vakiti Srihari accused the BRS of holding a protest at the project site after learning that water could be released from Karnataka, while Jupally criticised what he described as attempts to mislead farmers. These allegations were made by Telangana ministers and were not independently assessed in the report.
Jupally said decisions on water availability should consider evaporation, storage levels, inflows and outflows, rainfall and the status of projects in Karnataka. Srihari said the Telangana government was assessing drinking-water requirements, rainfall patterns, inflows from Karnataka and the impact of El Nino before deciding how supplies should be managed.
Karnataka had released 2.5 TMC of water in 2019 following a request from the then Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. The current request is for 5 TMC, and Telangana officials said the government was working with Karnataka authorities to improve inflows into Jurala and supply water to farmers in phases. The next operational milestone is Karnataka’s decision on the timing and quantity of any release from Narayanpur.
