KCR Govt Failures, Coupled With El Niño, Cause of Water Woes in State: Uttam
Anticipating possible water stress, the government has repeatedly advised farmers to consider alternative crops where water availability was uncertain, he added.
Hyderabad:Irrigation minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Monday said the El Nino climate phenomenon, coupled with the irrigation foibles of the previous BRS government had resulted in the present water scarcity.
During an informal chat with reporters in the Assembly, Uttam Kumar Reddy said while “Mr El Niño affected rainfall and water availability, the failure of the previous government under Mr KCR to complete key irrigation projects despite spending about Rs 1.81 lakh crore, have left Telangana more vulnerable to water stress.’
Anticipating possible water stress, the government has repeatedly advised farmers to consider alternative crops where water availability was uncertain, he added.
For instance, if the BRS government completed the Kalwakurthy, Nettampadu, Koilsagar, Bheema and the SLBC tunnel projects, things could have been different. But the previous government relied heavily on expensive borrowings, without generating proportionate irrigation benefits. The burden of these decisions are being borne by the people of Telangana, he said.
Ridiculing former chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao’s proposed mass mobilisation over the Kaleshwaram issue, he asked: “What does KCR intend to showcase by this action? What is the purpose of taking people there? To show the project that was designed and constructed under your government and later suffered damage?”
The Congress government was not afraid of political programmes or padayatras by the opposition, he said, adding that the BRS must first answer for the condition of the Kaleshwaram project barrages.
On BRS’ allegations that the Congress government was acting in the interests of Andhra Pradesh, Uttam Kumar Reddy said Telangana’s Krishna and Godavari water rights were being pursued vigorously before tribunals and river management boards. Telangana has used its legitimate Krishna share effectively during the present water year.
