Uttam Kumar: BRS failed to protect Telangana water rights; KRMB should ensure fair distribution

Hyderabad: Speaking about water rights to the State and Kaleshwaram project, Irrigation and Civil Supplies minister Capt N Uttam Kumar Reddy accused BRS leaders of making false claims to defame the Congress government and mislead the public.

He blamed the previous BRS government for failing to protect Telangana’s water rights and causing massive financial and structural damage to the irrigation sector.

The minister also demanded Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) play an active role in the equitable distribution of Krishna Waters between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and ensure that sufficient Krishna water is provided to Telangana farmers for Rabi crops.

Addressing a press conference at Jala Soudha on Thursday, along with ministers Komatireddy Venkat Reddy and Ponnam Prabhakar, Uttam Kumar Reddy ridiculed BRS leaders’ criticism of the Congress government.

He said, “BRS leaders are repeatedly lying to cover up the failures of the BRS regime. The irrigation sector under BRS was riddled with scams and irregularities. The BRS government borrowed over Rs 1 lakh crore for the Kaleshwaram project, which was plagued by faulty design, poor construction and zero maintenance. The Medigadda Barrage, which BRS described as the ‘heart of Kaleshwaram,’ collapsed during their own rule, and instead of admitting failure, KCR, Harish Rao and other BRS leaders shamelessly claim that only one pillar collapsed.”

Uttam Kumar Reddy revealed that the BRS government spent Rs 1.81 lakh crore on irrigation projects but failed to achieve significant expansion. The funds were acquired through high-interest, short-term loans, placing a huge financial burden on Telangana. Despite spending Rs 27,000 crore on the Palamuru-Rangareddy Project and Rs 9,000 crore on the Sitarama Lift Irrigation Project, not a single acre of land received irrigation water. Long-pending projects like Devadula, Kalwakurthy, Nettampadu, Bhima, Koyal Sagar, SLBC and Dindi remained incomplete. The Kaleshwaram Project alone, which consumed nearly Rs 1 lakh crore, delivered minimal ayacut and suffered structural failures.

“The BRS government did not construct irrigation projects for farmers; they built them to fill their pockets. They destroyed the sector in terms of manpower, HR policies, water allocation, ayacut expansion and necessary approvals,” he remarked.

‘Congress rectifying BRS mistakes’

He stated that the Congress government is working to rectify these issues by prioritising the completion of pending projects and securing Telangana’s water rights. The allocation of 67 TMC of Godavari River water for the Sitarama Lift Irrigation Project has been expedited, and discussions are ongoing to secure 44 TMC for the Sammaka Sarakka project. Secretary-level talks with Chhattisgarh for a No Objection Certificate (NOC) on the Sammaka Sarakka project have already been held.

‘Unfair allocation of Krishna River waters’

Additionally, the government is contesting the unfair Krishna River water allocation of 299 TMC to Telangana and 512 TMC to Andhra Pradesh.

KRMB chairman Atul Jain met Uttam Kumar Reddy in Jal Soudha on Thursday.

“Under KCR’s leadership, Telangana suffered injustice in water sharing. Water allocation is based on factors like catchment area, drought-prone regions, population and cultivable land, yet Telangana was deprived of its rightful share,” he said.

Reading from minutes of the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) meetings, Uttam Kumar Reddy explained how the BRS government agreed to hand over key projects to KRMB, even allocating Rs 200 crore for maintenance in the 2023-24 budget. “Unlike BRS, our government will never hand over our projects to KRMB,” he asserted.

He accused the BRS government of enabling Andhra Pradesh to float tenders for the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme (RLIS) by postponing the Apex Council meeting.

“The RLIS project was approved just days after a secret agreement between KCR and the then AP CM Jagan Mohan Reddy. Telangana lost about 7 TMC of Krishna water that naturally flows by gravity, while Andhra Pradesh was allowed to withdraw 8 TMC per day from Srisailam,” he said. He cited GO 203, issued by the AP government on May 5, 2020, authorising the withdrawal of 8 TMC of water daily.

KRMB data shows that from 2014-15 to 2020-21, Andhra Pradesh consistently utilised over 64 per cent of Krishna River water while Telangana’s share remained below 36 per cent. In 2014-15, AP used 529.33 TMC while Telangana got only 227.74 TMC (30.08%). By 2020-21, AP had further increased its usage to 629.07 TMC, leaving Telangana with just 248.23 TMC. “The BRS government failed to take strong legal or political action, allowing Andhra Pradesh to continue its excess withdrawals,” he said.

‘Andhra Pradesh taking more water from Srisailam’

Since 2014, Andhra Pradesh has aggressively expanded its water withdrawal capacity from Srisailam, increasing the Pothireddypadu Head Regulator’s capacity from 44,000 cusecs in 2005 to 92,600 cusecs in 2023. The RLIS, designed to withdraw water even at the lowest reservoir levels, was pushed forward despite Telangana’s objections. The Veligonda Project and other supplementary schemes further strengthened AP’s capacity to divert Krishna water, leaving Telangana’s irrigation projects like Kalwakurthy, Nettampadu, and Palamuru-Rangareddy LIS struggling, he said.

“Despite these blatant violations, the then BRS government remained passive. They did not immediately approach the Supreme Court or KWDT-II to contest AP’s illegal water drawal. They delayed action, allowing AP to finalise RLIS tenders and expand its projects unchallenged,” he added.

On November 29, 2023, just a day before the Telangana elections, the Andhra Pradesh government forcefully occupied the right half of the Nagarjuna Sagar Project Dam with 400-500 armed police personnel. They seized control of key points and unauthorisedly released 5,000 cusecs of water without KRMB’s approval. “This was a direct violation of Telangana’s rights, yet the BRS government failed to take immediate action,” he said.

“The consequences of this negligence have been devastating. Crucial irrigation projects like Palamuru-Rangareddy LIS, Kalwakurthy LIS, and Dindi LIS have faced delays. Farmers in Mahabubnagar, Nalgonda, and Rangareddy districts have suffered due to water shortages, and even Hyderabad’s drinking water supply has been at risk,” he said.

Uttam Kumar raised issue with Centre on Andhra Pradesh taking more water

Uttam Kumar Reddy highlighted his representation at the 2nd All India State Water Ministers’ Conference in Udaipur, where he spoke about Andhra Pradesh’s alleged excess withdrawals and urged the Centre to intervene. “Union Minister for Jal Shakti CR Patil and Secretary Debashree Mukherjee assured necessary directions will be issued to address Telangana’s grievances,” he said.

To monitor AP’s withdrawals, the Congress government has requested the Centre to install telemetry instruments at 35 locations in Nagarjuna Sagar and Srisailam Dams. “Even if the Centre refuses to fund it, Telangana will install the instruments at its own cost,” he declared. He also condemned the previous BRS regime for not installing telemetry instruments during its 10-year rule.

He also blamed the BRS government for financial mismanagement, stating that they took high-interest, short-term loans instead of long-tenure, low-cost loans, increasing Telangana’s debt burden. “After Congress came to power, we worked to reduce interest rates, bringing them down from 10 per cent to 7 per cent in some cases,” he said.

Uttam Kumar Reddy assured that the SLBC Tunnel works will be completed 100 per cent under the Congress regime and that the government is actively reclaiming control of Nagarjuna Sagar components from Andhra Pradesh. “Our government is working tirelessly to rectify the damage done by the BRS government. Telangana’s rightful water share will not be compromised under our leadership,” he said.