The delay in restarting pumping operations at the Kannepalli Pump House has triggered a political dispute over Hyderabad’s drinking-water supply, with Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) legislators demanding immediate action and warning of protests if the issue is not resolved.
BRS MLAs Devireddy Sudheer Reddy, Madhavaram Krishna Rao, K.P. Vivekananda Goud, Marri Rajasekhar Reddy and Bandari Lakshma Reddy, along with former minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao and former MLA Gandra Venkata Ramana Reddy, visited the Kannepalli Pump House on Saturday. The facility is part of the Kaleshwaram Project.
The leaders claimed that more than 750 TMC ft of Godavari water had flowed into the sea since June. They said pumping even 250 TMC could have increased water storage in reservoirs and tanks, and argued that the government should prioritise Hyderabad’s drinking-water requirements.
The BRS delegation linked the pumping dispute to reported difficulties in the city’s water supply. MLA Marri Rajasekhar Reddy alleged that some Hyderabad residents were not receiving regular drinking water even once every three days. He also said low water pressure was adding to the hardship faced by households.
Reddy further claimed that around 7,000 water-tanker bookings were being recorded daily in October, describing the figure as an indication of the seriousness of the shortage. The report did not include an independent confirmation of the tanker-booking figure or a response from the state government or Hyderabad’s water authorities.
The Kannepalli Pump House is a key component of the Kaleshwaram irrigation system, which has been the subject of continuing political criticism in Telangana. The BRS leaders said water from the Godavari should be used to support drinking-water supply rather than being allowed to flow into the sea while urban residents face shortages.
BRS MLA K.P. Vivekananda Goud also alleged that engineers who had recommended pumping water from Kannepalli had been threatened by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy. The allegation was not independently verified in the report, and no response from the Chief Minister or the state administration was cited.
The BRS leaders said they would organise a protest at the Chief Minister’s residence if pumping did not begin. They also warned of wider public protests and demanded that the government immediately start operations at the pump house to support water supply to Hyderabad.
