BRS Failures Worsened El Niño Impact on Telangana: Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy

Telangana Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has blamed the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government for the state’s vulnerability to El Niño and drought conditions, alleging that unfinished irrigation projects, financial irregularities and the improper utilisation of public loans had weakened its ability to tackle water shortages.

Speaking to the media in Hyderabad on Saturday, Uttam Kumar Reddy said Telangana could have been better prepared to face adverse weather conditions if the previous government had completed major irrigation projects, including Pranahita-Chevella and the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC). He accused the government led by former chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao of failing to utilise borrowed funds effectively for public benefit.

The minister also rejected BRS leaders’ allegations that the Congress government was wasting water by releasing it from the Medigadda barrage, part of the Kaleshwaram project. He said the barrage was damaged during the BRS government’s tenure and that the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) had identified deficiencies in its design and construction.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said the Congress government was working to restore the damaged Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages with the assistance of international experts. He stressed that the restoration efforts were being pursued sincerely, without political considerations. As the NDSA had recommended keeping the gates open because of the damage, lifting water from the barrages was currently not possible, he explained.

Questioning the previous government’s irrigation achievements, the minister asked whether it had provided irrigation to one crore acres, completed the Palamuru-Rangareddy and Sitarama Sagar projects, or finished the pending SLBC works. He also questioned why the Kaleshwaram project had suffered damage.

Despite the three barrages remaining out of operation, Telangana recorded the country’s highest paddy cultivation and grain procurement under the Congress government, the minister claimed.

In July, the government announced its target of completing restoration works on the damaged barrages by July–August 2027. The damage to the Kaleshwaram multipurpose project, built across the Godavari in Jayashankar Bhupalpally district, had become a major political issue during the 2023 Assembly elections.