HYDERABAD

Former Irrigation Minister and Deputy Floor Leader of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in Telangana Assembly T. Harish Rao has claimed that an affidavit of the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) and a report of the Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS) are a slap on ‘misinformation’ of the Congress Government on the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS).

In a statement, Mr. Rao said on Tuesday (August 25, 2026) that the NDSA affidavit had suggested lifting water from Kaleshwaram based on the need and the CWPRS report had found no structure/construction related issues in Annaram and Sundilla barrages of KLIS. He alleged that it was purely due to political vengeance the Congress government had dubbed Kaleshwaram project as a disaster and not useful for lifting water.

Allowing flood in the Godavari flow waste downstream to help Andhra Pradesh utilise it was nothing but criminal negligence of the Revanth Reddy government in Telangana and causing a huge loss to the farming community. It was only after the BRS’ questioning the government had switched on the pumps of Devadula projects and Nandi and Gayatri pump houses of Kaleshwaram project. But, by that time it was late to tap the required quantity of water.

As a result of the Telangana government’s help to Andhra Pradesh, the storage of water in all types of water bodies in Telangana was only at 35.6% against the national average of 64.16%. They were not mere percentages but an indication of the impending crisis. The situation was not an outcome of the natural calamity but the failure of the Congress government in water management.

He suggested the government to start lifting of water from Annaram and Sundilla barrages and stop misinformation on the Kaleshwaram project