Spl Assembly session to discuss drought, Revanth assures farmers

Hyderabad: On a three-day visit to Kodangal, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy on Saturday, November 7, announced that the Assembly would hold a special session in December to discuss the Kaleshwaram project and the sharing of Godavari and Krishna waters.

He also warned that the state could face eight months of poor rainfall due to El Niño and urged farmers to sow short-duration crops that require less water.

Revanth was speaking during an interaction with model farmers and agricultural scientists after inaugurating the Mega Rythu Mela and industrial exhibition at Hakimpeta in the Kodangal constituency of the Vikarabad district.

Urging everyone to tackle El Nino effects together, he said El Niño lead to poor rainfall, but it also causes intense heat, so the next eight months will be difficult.

To address its effects, the CM said the Assembly would hold a special session in December to discuss the Kaléswaram project and the Godavari and Krishna waters.

“No one is closer to me than you. The heat will be extreme in the coming days. There is no water in the projects. Sow short-duration crops that need less water,” he said.

“As your brother, I appeal to you: there will be no rain for the next eight months, from now until July. Think once before sowing crops. After the Sankranti festival, I will launch a Praja Balam campaign and come to everyone. I will tour all the areas. I will stand by you in your hardships. Let us all unite and face El Niño,” the Chief Minister said to farmers.

Drying reservoirs, stalled irrigation projects

He said the water in the state’s projects had dried up and that projects that once held hundreds of TMC of water at this time of year had now reached a point of running dry. He said some people were making various claims about the drought conditions.

“Some people say we are not lifting the water flowing in the Godavari. Why, then, are there barrages to lift the flowing water?” he asked. By way of explanation, he said, “Because the Medigadda barrage has collapsed, the Kannepalli pumps are not working. Only when the Medigadda gates are closed and 16 TMC of water is stored does water enter the pump house for lifting.”

Dismissing the criticism that water was being diverted to Andhra Pradesh, Revanth said they were storing water at Tupakulagudem and lifting it through the Devadula project and that the water was being used in Khammam through the Sita Rama project downstream.

He said not a single acre of farmland was being irrigated under the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages. Water reaches Sripada Yellampalli only when all three barrages operate simultaneously. He said they were supplying water to farmers through the Devadula project.

He expressed anguish that, although they had hoped the Kalvakurthy, Bhima, Nettampadu, Koilsagar, Palamuru Ranga Reddy, and Makthal–Narayanpet–Kodangal lift irrigation schemes would be completed and bring water to the fields, not a single one had moved forward.

He said completing the SLBC project would have resolved Nalgonda’s fluoride problem, but it wasn’t completed, just like the Achampet lift irrigation and Sita Rama Sagar schemes.

“… With everyone’s cooperation, Kodangal was given a great opportunity, and we can carry out development work today. Work on the Makthal–Narayanpet–Kodangal project is progressing rapidly. Farmers have come forward 100 per cent and given their land. We have acquired the land by paying compensation of Rs 20 lakh per acre.”

More for Kodagal

Promising an industrial hub from Hyderabad to Nagarjuna Sagar on the lines of Delhi–Noida and Mumbai–Pune, Revanth said, “We are building a 250-foot-wide road from Hyderabad airport to Kodangal. Industries will come to this area with investments of thousands of crores. Employment opportunities will open up for the unemployed youth of this region.”

He recalled Telangana’s journey from a state struggling for recognition to one that is being recognised throughout the country, adding, “Recognition alone is not enough. Water must reach the fields here. Crops must grow.”

The CM said the government was developing Kodangal under the Rural Agriculture Region Economy (RARE) initiative as a national model for development and an education hub. Plans include medical, engineering, polytechnic, nursing, veterinary and law colleges, along with a Young India Integrated School and a Sainik School.

He also announced plans for industrial parks and said development work worth Rs 10,000 crore was being launched in the region.

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