Hyderabad: On Tuesday, the State Irrigation Minister, N Uttam Kumar Reddy, urged irrigation officials to keep a close watch on the increasing water levels in reservoirs. He stressed the importance of taking steps to prevent flood damage and ensure farmers receive enough water during this crop season.
The Minister led a video conference with key irrigation engineers, including Engineers-in-Chief, Chief Engineers, Superintending Engineers, and Executive Engineers, who were stationed in the field. He highlighted that managing floods while meeting irrigation needs is the top priority for the Telangana government.
During the meeting, the Minister reviewed the status of major reservoirs. He noted that water inflows into the Krishna basin were notably high, and significant inflows were also reported in the Godavari basin. The Sri Ram Sagar Project held 73.37 TMC of water, close to its 90.30 TMC capacity. Meanwhile, the Singur project had 19.48 TMC, much higher than the previous year’s 14.91 TMC.
The Minister emphasized the urgency of addressing flood-related damages. The flood damage report listed 177 incidents of breaches and damages to tanks, canals, and lifts, with restoration costs exceeding ₹335 crore. Nearly 3,500 temporary repairs have been completed, but areas like Adilabad, Mulugu, Mahabubnagar, and Suryapet faced more severe damage. Reddy instructed that permanent restoration work should be prioritized and warned against neglecting flood management.
He also urged engineers to maximize the efficiency of infrastructure to secure Godavari waters for both current and future crops. Optimal water use in the Kadam, Yellampalli, and SRSP projects was highlighted as essential. Additionally, he directed the filling of all minor irrigation tanks to guarantee water availability throughout the year.
The Minister announced plans to visit the Sripada Yellampally Project in Peddapally district, the Sriram Sagar Project in Nizamabad, and the Mid Manair Project in Rajanna Sircilla district on Wednesday to evaluate the situation firsthand.
