BRS provoking farmers despite knowing Jurala storage, allege Ministers - The HinduPublished - September 22, 2026 07:12 pm ISTMinisters Vakiti Srihari and Jupally Krishna Rao at a press meet in Hyderabad on Tuesday.Ministers Vakiti Srihari and Jupally Krishna Rao criticised the BRS for politicising the water shortage and blamed the previous government’s management of Krishna river waters and irrigation projects in Palamuru to the existing issues.Giving details of the storage position at Jurala, Mr. Jupally said that about 2.5 tmc ft would be lost to silt, another 3 tmc ft constituted dead storage, and could not be utilised, while 2.5 tmc ft had to be reserved for drinking water. About 1 tmc ft would be lost to evaporation, leaving little water available for irrigation, he said.At a press conference here, he attributed the prevailing situation partly to the El Niño effect and said the government had alerted farmers in advance to opt for short-duration crops. However, efforts were being made to protect farmers who had already raised paddy.Mr. Srihari accused BRS leaders of making conflicting statements about Jurala’s storage and alleged that they were not explaining how drinking water requirements would be met in the coming months.Mr. Srihari also criticised the BRS over the June 19, 2015 agreement relating to Krishna waters, alleging that former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and former Minister T. Harish Rao had agreed that 299 tmc ft would be sufficient for Telangana. He claimed that the present government was pursuing a legal battle seeking a higher share for Telangana.Mr. Jupally alleged that Telangana had utilised only about 33% of its Krishna water share during the previous decade, while Andhra Pradesh had utilised about 77%. Under the present government, Telangana was utilising nearly 45% of its share, he claimed.The Minister questioned why additional reservoirs had not been constructed for the Jurala ayacut of about 5.5 lakh acres, citing Gattu, Bhutpur and Guddemgadda reservoirs as projects that could have helped address the present situation.Deverakaadra MLA G. Madhusudhan Reddy alleged that the previous government had failed to complete the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme and construct additional reservoirs despite having had 10 years in office. Wanaparthy MLA Thudi Megha Reddy said the Jurala reservoir had received 4.5 tmc ft in seven days, but inflows subsequently fell, forcing the stoppage of pumps.Published - September 22, 2026 07:12 pm ISTSign in to unlock member-only benefits!Access 10 free stories every monthSave stories to read laterAccess to comment on every storySign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single clickGet notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products${ ind + 1 } ${ device }Last active - ${ la }