BRS Chief Presses Telangana Government to Activate Kannepalli Pump House Amid Water Crisis Warnings

Hyderabad: The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao has called for immediate activation of the Kannepalli Pump House to extract Godavari waters, warning that any further postponement risks severe agricultural and drinking water scarcity throughout Telangana.

Following a site visit to the Kannepalli Pump House in Jayashankar Bhupalpally district on Sunday, Rama Rao spoke to journalists and noted that 26 of the state's 33 districts are currently facing drought-like circumstances. He contended that massive volumes of Godavari water are flowing unused into the ocean due to the government's failure to fully utilise the operational capacity of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project infrastructure.

The BRS leader highlighted that meteorological agencies have already flagged concerns about El Niño effects and anticipated below-normal precipitation patterns. He accused the Congress administration of failing to make adequate preparations despite these advance cautions and dismissed its response as inadequate. Rama Rao called on officials to rise above political considerations and prioritise reservoir replenishment to safeguard agricultural interests and guarantee domestic water availability.

In his statement, Rama Rao urged immediate resumption of the Kannepalli Pump House and accelerated filling of storage facilities statewide. He alleged the government was deliberately holding back water operations to circumvent expenditures associated with managing increased agricultural production, including crop procurement expenses, fertiliser distribution, and farmer compensation schemes.

Defending the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project against corruption allegations, Rama Rao insisted that outstanding maintenance work must be expedited and maintained that the facility possesses adequate capacity to serve the state's water needs if managed efficiently.

The BRS chief also took issue with police conduct, asserting that law enforcement obstructed the party's delegation travelling from Hyderabad to Kannepalli. The journey, which ordinarily requires four hours, extended to nearly seven hours due to barricades and checkpoints established across multiple stretches of the route.

Rama Rao issued a stark warning that the BRS would escalate its campaign unless the government acts swiftly to initiate water extraction at the Kannepalli Pump House. He signalled the party's intention to mobilise between 50,000 and 60,000 supporters for a demonstration at the pump house site should the government persist in disregarding the matter. He additionally called on authorities to "activate the Bahubali pumps" to guarantee water supply reaches farming communities in Telangana.