Follow TNM's WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.
With standing crops in the Palamuru region facing water stress amid limited inflows into the Jurala reservoir, the Telangana government has stepped up efforts to secure additional water from Karnataka’s Upper Krishna system.
Telangana Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy said Telangana had approached Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar with a request to release water from the Narayanpur reservoir. Such a release, he said, could augment inflows into Jurala and provide immediate relief to farmers dependent on the irrigation project.
A delegation comprising Animal Husbandry Minister Vakiti Srihari, Excise and Tourism Minister Jupally Krishna Rao and MLAs Bandla Krishna Mohan Reddy, Madhusudhan Reddy and Megha Reddy travelled to Bengaluru to pursue the request with the Karnataka government.
Uttam Kumar said the request had been made against the backdrop of difficult conditions in the Krishna basin and the pressing requirement to protect standing crops in the erstwhile Mahabubnagar district. Karnataka, he said, had indicated that it would assess water availability before responding.
The Telangana government is also weighing the competing demands of irrigation and drinking water. Srihari said the state was monitoring reservoir levels, expected inflows, rainfall conditions and drinking-water requirements before determining the extent and timing of releases from Jurala.
“Providing water to farmers is our responsibility,” he said, while cautioning that releasing the entire available stock could create a drinking-water shortage in the coming months.
The government is therefore considering phased releases to farmers, linked to improvement in inflows. Srihari said the Chief Minister, Ministers and elected representatives from the Palamuru region were in continuous communication with Karnataka on the issue and appealed to farmers not to panic.