HYDERABAD: Accusing the previous BRS government of a “historic betrayal” of Telangana’s water rights under the Krishna river sharing arrangement, Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Tuesday claimed that farmers in south Telangana continue to face scarcity as a result.
After reviewing ongoing works at the Jawahar Janpahad Lift Irrigation Scheme and interacting with farmers along the Krishna riverbank, Uttam said their hardship stemmed from years of neglect under the BRS rule. Invoking the river as “Krishnamma”, he said the Congress government would not concede even a single drop of Telangana’s rightful share, and added that a party which weakened the state’s water security had no standing to speak on water rights.
Uttam alleged that the then chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and then irrigation minister T Harish Rao agreed to a 66:34 division of the 811 tmcft allocated to undivided Andhra Pradesh from the Krishna river, leaving Telangana at a disadvantage. He also outlined steps taken by the Congress government to improve agricultural output and water use since assuming office in December 2023.
The minister inspected works under the Rajiv Gandhi Lift Irrigation Scheme, which supports irrigation for about 15,000 acres, and reviewed progress on site. He said the government was committed to completing all ongoing Krishna basin projects ahead of the next elections.