Telangana Farmers Protest As Reservoir Shortage Triggers Water Crisis Fears

Hyderabad: Telangana is facing mounting water-management challenges, with farmers protesting irrigation restrictions, reservoir storage falling sharply and concerns growing over drinking-water availability during the coming summer. The confrontation at the Kadem Project in Mancherial district on Monday has brought the wider crisis into focus.Farmers staged a road blockade near the Tapalapur Forest Check Post in Jannaram mandal, demanding continued irrigation releases from the Kadem Narayana Reddy Project. With paddy crops at the critical booting stage, they sought at least 15 more days of water, preferably until November 30. Farmers from Thimmapur, Rampur and Chintaguda also protested against the proposed suspension of agricultural supply. Jala Sadhana Samithi state leader Nainala Govardhan supported the demand.Officials had announced that Kadem water would be reserved exclusively for drinking purposes from November 7 until summer 2027. Following protests, the Irrigation Department deferred the proposed suspension on November 9, although a revised date was yet to be announced.The concern extends across the Krishna and Godavari basins. According to the State Irrigation Department's reservoir monitoring system, combined storage in major and medium reservoirs stood at 503.43 TMC on September 30, against 834.92 TMC a year earlier. Krishna basin storage declined to 323.37 TMC from 583.35 TMC, while Godavari storage fell to 180.06 TMC from 251.57 TMC.Projects including Srisailam, Jurala, Nagarjuna Sagar, Sri Ram Sagar and Kadem face competing demands for irrigation and drinking water. The Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme also remains constrained by problems at the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages. The Cabinet has approved an estimated Rs 4,193-crore restoration plan, with work targeted to begin by December. Officials say lifting water through Medigadda is currently not possible.Earlier Chief Minister Revanth Reddy said rainfall was 23% deficient, with water levels 72% below normal in the Krishna basin and 40% lower in the Godavari basin. Available water was estimated at 209 TMC against a normal requirement of 460 TMC. Urging farmers to defer Rabi paddy cultivation, he warned: "We can purchase anything, but not water."Meanwhile, BRS leader T Harish Rao accused the government of failing to utilise available irrigation resources. He claimed crops across 25 lakh acres had dried up and demanded that Kalwakurthy motors operate round the clock and Jurala releases continue for another 15 days. These figures and allegations are his claims, not independently verified statewide crop-loss assessments.