Telangana formulates action plan to tackle delay in monsoon

Hyderabad: In response to the delayed arrival of the South West Monsoon and prevailing dry weather conditions, the Telangana government has developed a comprehensive action plan to meet the drinking water and irrigation needs of the State. Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao has directed the Irrigation department to take prompt measures to ensure uninterrupted water supply for crop cultivation. The government is committed to providing necessary irrigation facilities, with no limits on expenditure, he said. The government also decided to release the Rythubandhu scheme benefit to the farmers for the Kharif seasons from June 26.

During a high-level meeting at Dr. BR Ambedkar State Secretariat, the Chief Minister, along with Ministers, public representatives, and irrigation officials, discussed strategies for supplying irrigation water in the upcoming ‘Vanakalam’ farming season.

With the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting continued dry weather conditions until the first week of July, the Chief Minister instructed officials to prevent any drinking water crisis. To conserve water, the release of water for irrigation purposes will be temporarily halted during the dry season.

The Chief Minister also reviewed the water storage status in the reservoirs under the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation scheme. He directed the immediate transfer of two tmc (Thousand Million Cubic Feet) of water from Mid Manair reservoir to Ranganayak Sagar to fulfill irrigation requirements in the upcoming Kharif season. Additionally, it was decided to transfer 5 tmc of water to Nizam Sagar through Kondapochamma Sagar in August. In case of water scarcity, a review of water reserves in Sriramsagar will be conducted in August, and 30 to 35 tmc of water will be lifted through the Kaleshwaram project as part of the Sriramsagar revival scheme. Mallannasagar reservoir will be filled with an additional 10 tmc of water this year.

Further, the meeting focused on lifting and storing water for the second crop in reservoirs such as Yellampalli, Sriramsagar, Mid Manair, Lower Manair, Annapurna, Ranganayak Sagar, Mallannasagar, and Kondapochamma Sagar. The irrigation authorities will prepare an operation manual to determine the optimal usage of pumps.

Addressing the drinking water needs, the Chief Minister suggested lifting water from Mid Manair to Gouravelli reservoir and instructed authorities to commence canal construction for supplying irrigation water to Gouravelli Ayacut.