KHAMMAM: Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Monday accused the previous BRS government of remaining indifferent when Andhra Pradesh drew 11 tmcft of water from the upstream Srisailam reservoir, impacting water availability in Telangana. He noted that this led to the Nagarjunasagar Left canal’s inability to release even one tmcft of water.
Speaking to the media at Palair in Khammam district, alongside Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy after commissioning under tunnel works of Nagarjunasagar Left Canal and releasing water for crops, Vikramarka credited past Congress governments for their visionary irrigation projects.
These projects, he said, ensured abundant water supply for the state. He accused the BRS of failing to protect the state’s water interests despite its financial strength, burdening citizens with poor decisions.
The Congress government, he said, was now taking decisive steps to secure Telangana’s rightful share of Krishna and Godavari waters and complete pending irrigation projects. Vikramarka said that the BRS’s flawed decisions, particularly with regard to the construction of the Rayalaseema Lift Project upstream of Srisailam by AP government, have caused severe water shortage in Khammam district and partial shortage in Nalgonda district.
Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy announced that water has been released from the Palair reservoir to irrigate Nagarjunasagar ayacut area. He recalled that heavy rains in early September last year caused flooding in Khammam, breaching parts of the Nagarjunasagar main canal and several canals, which were swiftly repaired. At present, water flow was 400 cusecs, with plans to increase this further within five days.