BRS general secretary and former Minister T Jeevan Reddy has demanded that the Telangana government fully utilise the Kaleshwaram project and fill reservoirs to protect the state from drought-like conditions, while accusing the Congress government of allowing available river water to go to waste.
Speaking at a press conference at Telangana Bhavan, Jeevan Reddy said the water crisis was not solely the result of El Niño and poor rainfall. He alleged that the government had failed to use available water from the Godavari and Krishna rivers and claimed that nearly one lakh cusecs of water was flowing into the sea.
The claims were made as part of the BRS leader’s criticism of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s handling of irrigation and drought relief. Jeevan Reddy alleged that political considerations had influenced decisions on water utilisation, but the report did not include a response from the Chief Minister or the state government to those allegations.
Jeevan Reddy said the Kaleshwaram project had been conceived by former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao to help Telangana manage rainfall deficits and drought conditions. He alleged that the Congress government was avoiding water lifting from Kannepalli and had sidelined the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages to prevent political credit from accruing to the previous administration.
The Kaleshwaram system has therefore become central to the latest political dispute over how Telangana should use its river-water infrastructure during periods of inadequate rainfall. Jeevan Reddy said constructing a cofferdam at Medigadda would enable water lifting from the location and urged the Chief Minister to set aside political differences.
The demand places attention on the operational condition and use of individual components of the project, including Kannepalli and the three barrages named by the BRS leader. The source report does not provide an assessment by irrigation authorities on the current condition of these structures, the technical feasibility of the proposed cofferdam, or the quantity of water that can presently be lifted.
Jeevan Reddy also sought a set of immediate relief measures for farmers, students and rural households. These included rescheduling farm loans, clearing fee reimbursement arrears, deferring tuition fees and providing monthly assistance of Rs 1,000 to families holding VB-G RAMG job cards.
He said the government should honour its election commitments and take steps to protect farmers from the crisis. The report did not specify whether the government had accepted any of these demands or announce a timeline for decisions on water lifting, reservoir filling, loan relief or assistance to job-card holders.
