Karnataka Agrees to Consider Telangana’s Request for Krishna Water Release

Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has responded positively to Telangana’s request to release Krishna river water to protect standing crops in the state, Telangana Tourism Minister Jupally Krishna Rao said.

The Telangana government had urged Karnataka to release water from the Almatti and Narayanpur reservoirs amid growing concerns over water availability in the state’s Krishna basin. According to the minister’s office, Shivakumar accepted the request and instructed officials to initiate the necessary measures for releasing water to Telangana.

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy expressed gratitude to Shivakumar for responding favourably to Telangana’s appeal. In a post on ‘X’, Revanth Reddy said the decision reflected the cordial relationship between the two states and demonstrated the values of friendship, love and brotherhood among people.

A Telangana delegation comprising Jupally Krishna Rao, Sports Minister Vakiti Srihari and several Congress MLAs met Shivakumar in Bengaluru on Wednesday to discuss the issue. It was the delegation’s second meeting with the Karnataka Chief Minister in two days, highlighting the urgency attached to the water requirement.

The delegation briefed Shivakumar about the water shortage in Mahabubnagar district and the condition of crops under the command areas of the Jurala, Nettempadu, Bhima and Koilsagar projects. Ministers said crops had reached a crucial stage and could be severely affected if adequate water was not supplied immediately.

The four projects together serve nearly 5.5 lakh acres of agricultural land. Telangana has requested Karnataka to release 5,000 cusecs of Krishna water for one month to safeguard the standing crops.

The appeal comes amid farmer protests in areas dependent on the Jurala project, particularly in Jogulamba Gadwal district. Farmers have been demanding an immediate release of water for irrigation. The BRS organised protests over the issue on September 21, while BJP state president N. Ramchander Rao was stopped by police the following day while attempting to visit affected farmers.

Jupally had earlier stated that Jurala has a storage capacity of more than 9 TMC, with around 3 TMC occupied by silt and another 3 TMC earmarked for drinking water needs until June 2027. He also questioned the previous BRS government’s failure to create additional storage capacity.

Meanwhile, Vakiti Srihari directed officials to ensure irrigation water reached farmers through the Jurala project. Following his instructions, officials released water from the project, according to an official statement.