KTR demands Congress govt to lift Godavari water at Kannepalli, warns of siege if pumps not operated immediately

BRS working president KT Rama Rao demanded the immediate lifting of Godavari river waters for irrigation using the Kannepalli pump house, which is part of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme, to prevent an irrigation and drinking water crisis in the State amid the El Niño threat. He warned of laying siege to the project if the Congress government failed to operate the pumps.

“If the government still does not respond, we will mobilise 50,000 people and lay siege to the Kannepalli pump house to ensure the pumps are switched on,” he declared.

Braving repeated police barricades and preventive arrests of party workers, Rama Rao, accompanied by several MLAs and senior BRS leaders from the erstwhile Warangal, Karimnagar and Nalgonda districts, reached the Kannepalli pump house after his convoy was intercepted at multiple locations. They left Hyderabad on Sunday morning to inspect the Kannepalli pump house and address the media.

Addressing the media after inspecting the



water flow at the Kannepalli pump house, Rama Rao alleged that nearly 98,000 cusecs of Godavari water were being allowed to flow wastefully into the sea despite sufficient water being available for lifting at Kannepalli. He asserted that water could be pumped from Kannepalli without depending on the damaged Medigadda barrage, claiming the river level was around 96 metres, while pumping was possible from 92 metres at Kannepalli. “The Congress government is deliberately denying irrigation water to farmers despite its availability. If it is incapable of operating Kaleshwaram, hand it over to KCR for a week and we will fill reservoirs across Telangana,” he said.

The BRS leader maintained that the immediate lifting of water from Kannepalli could provide irrigation to lakhs of acres, particularly amid concerns over a weak monsoon and possible El Niño conditions. He accused the Congress government of allowing precious river water to drain into the sea instead of safeguarding Telangana’s irrigation needs.