Telangana irrigation crisis raises questions over water management and project utilisation

The Revanth Reddy government’s warning that irrigation water may not be available for the coming Yasangi season has raised questions about whether Telangana’s water crisis has been aggravated by the failure to utilise available river flows and existing infrastructure. But the real reason appears to be the Congress government’s determination to discredit the previous regime’s irrigation projects, which has taken precedence over farmers’ needs.

The El Nino impact and rainfall deficit is real. The State received 615.5 mm of rainfall against a seasonal normal of 740.6 mm during the recently concluded Southwest monsoon and recorded a deficit of 17 per cent. But Karnataka recorded a deficit of around 35 per cent, while Andhra Pradesh suffered a reported shortfall of over 29 per cent.

Yet Telangana faces restrictions on water-intensive cultivation during the coming Yasangi season, while Andhra Pradesh continued supplying its irrigation commands. Even the upstream Karnataka did not impose any restrictions on cultivation.

Weak



inflows and El Nino conditions undoubtedly aggravated the shortage in Telangana. But the contrast with neighbouring States had left many wondering why did Telangana fail to make optimum use of available flows and its extensive irrigation infrastructure, while downstream Andhra Pradesh continued lifting and diverting water.

According to the State government, Krishna basin inflows stood at around 80 TMCft against an expected 270 TMCft, while Godavari inflows were about 100 TMCft against 150 TMCft. The combined shortfall was approximately 240 TMCft.

The latest aggregate figures put storage across 87 monitored major reservoirs in Telangana at 465.8 TMCft, or 43.97 per cent of their combined capacity of 1,059.3 TMCft. Andhra Pradesh’s wider water-resource network held about 503.74 TMCft against 1,161.357 TMCft of capacity, while Karnataka’s key monitored reservoirs held 256.63 TMCft against 535.44 TMCft. Though these datasets cover different reservoir networks, they underline the regional water stress. The key issue is how effectively each State responded to it.