BRS redesign hit irrigation prospects: Uttam

metro india news  I hyderabad

Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister Capt N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Saturday accused the previous BRS government of committing a “historic blunder” by abandoning the original Pranahita-Chevella irrigation project and redesigning it around Medigadda under the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS).

Addressing a media conference at the Secretariat, the Minister announced a time-bound roadmap for rehabilitating the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages, outlining the technical assessments, design approvals and execution milestones planned for their restoration.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said Telangana would have been better equipped to withstand the prevailing El Niño-induced drought conditions had the original Pranahita-Chevella project been completed without modifications.

He alleged that the decision to deviate from the original design was driven by considerations other than the long-term interests of farmers. A project initially envisaged at a cost of around Rs. 38,000 crore had, he claimed, imposed an enormous financial burden on the State without delivering the promised irrigation benefits.

The Minister maintained that completing the Pranahita-Chevella project as originally planned would have strengthened irrigation infrastructure across north Telangana, reduced the region’s vulnerability to rainfall deficits and helped farmers cope with recurring droughts.

He further accused the previous regime of saddling the State with an unsustainable debt burden while leaving critical irrigation infrastructure incomplete.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said the State government had engaged national and international experts to oversee the rehabilitation of the three KLIS barrages. He stressed that Telangana’s irrigation achievements should be assessed on the basis of facts and ground realities rather than political rhetoric.

Telangana leads in utilization of Krishna and Godavari waters Telangana recorded the highest agricultural acreage, the highest utilisation of river waters and the highest paddy production in the Krishna and Godavari basins, Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister said.  He asserted that the State’s irrigation achievements must be assessed on the basis of facts and ground realities rather than political rhetoric. Uttam Kumar Reddy said that a broad timeline for taking the rehabilitation program forward was finalized. Concept designs were completed by the end of September, while estimates and government approvals are targeted for October-end.

CWPRS, AFRY and IIT Bombay involved

The government has engaged the Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS) for investigations and M/s AFRY, in association with IIT Bombay, for design formulation. A coordination committee comprising technical experts and senior officials from the Irrigation and CAD Department, the Central Designs Organization and the State Dam Safety Organization has been constituted to coordinate the rehabilitation program in line with NDSA recommendations.

The Technical Oversight Committee (TOC), constituted by the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti on June 30, 2026, reviewed the rehabilitation strategy at meetings held on July 31 and October 14 in New Delhi. Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy explained that the rehabilitation designs and additional works are to undergo technical scrutiny by the TOC and the Central Water Commission (CWC). The department is also planning an integrated instrumentation and monitoring system to track seepage, uplift pressures and structural behavior during and after rehabilitation.

The broad designs propose extending the stilling basins to 66 metres at Medigadda and Annaram and 58 metres at Sundilla, compared with their existing lengths of 46.8 metres, 45 metres and 30 metres, respectively.

Uttam takes exception to BRS leaders visit to Medigadda barrage

Uttam Reddy took exception to BRS leaders visiting the Medigadda barrage of the Kaleshwaram project and alleging that the Congress government is allowing the water to flow out of the barrage. According to Reddy, the Medigadda barrage "collapsed" during BRS regime.The National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) had identified deficiencies in its design and construction.

"The Congress government is sincerely making efforts for the rehabilitation of the three beleaguered barrages of Kaleshwaram -- Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla - without any political motives, by involving international experts," he said.

BRS MLAs demand immediate release of Godavari water to Hyd

Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLAs have urged the Telangana government to immediately pump Godavari water from the Kannepalli pump house to Hyderabad to prevent a potential drinking water crisis in the city. They warned that if the government failed to take immediate action, they would join residents in staging a protest at Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s residence. On Saturday, BRS MLAs Devireddy Sudheer Reddy, Madhavaram Krishna Rao, K.P. Vivekanand 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 to assess the situation.

BRS alleges failure to utilize Godavari water

The BRS leaders claimed that more than 750 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) of Godavari water had flowed into the sea since June. They argued that pumping at least 250 TMC of this water could have helped increase storage levels in reservoirs and tanks, strengthening water availability for the city and surrounding areas. The MLAs said several localities in Hyderabad were receiving drinking water only once every three days, with supply pressure also remaining low. They pointed to the rising demand for water tankers as evidence of the growing difficulties faced by residents.

Leaders call for urgent action at Kannepalli Former minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao urged the government to begin pumping Godavari water from Kannepalli without further delay, saying that immediate measures were necessary to ease the difficulties faced by residents. BRS MLA K.P. Vivekanand Goud alleged that the government had ignored earlier warnings about the possibility of future water shortages. He said timely action could have helped address the emerging concerns over the city's water supply. MLA Sudheer Reddy suggested that the handling of irrigation infrastructure and water management required greater attention to prevent further difficulties.

BRS warns of protest at CM’s residence

Former MLA Gandra Venkata Ramana Reddy expressed concern that valuable Godavari water was flowing into the sea while Hyderabad faced the prospect of a drinking water shortage. He called on the government to immediately pump water from Kannepalli and provide residents with greater assurance of a reliable drinking water supply.

The BRS delegation's visit has brought renewed political attention to Hyderabad's drinking water supply and the utilization of Godavari water. The allegations and water-flow figures cited by the leaders were presented at their media briefing; the account does not independently establish the current status of water availability or the government's response to their demands.