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Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Assembly Deputy Floor Leader T. Harish Rao on Saturday demanded immediate repair and completion of the Medigadda Barrage under the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project to ensure year-round water supply ahead of the anticipated El Nino conditions during the 2026-27 farming season. He warned that failure to act could jeopardize irrigation, drinking water, and agricultural output across Telangana.
Speaking in Siddipet, Harish Rao accused the Revanth Reddy-led Congress government of diverting attention with plans for the Tummidihetti barrage on the Godavari River, despite no tangible progress or confirmed inter-state agreement with Maharashtra. He cited a 2012 letter from former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan to then Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, stating that any construction without Maharashtra’s consent would be wasteful.
Harish Rao challenged the Congress claim of having secured a 150-meter full reservoir level agreement at Tummidihetti before 2014, asking why no headworks were initiated there if such an agreement existed. Instead, he noted, the previous Congress government spent ₹2,300 crore on mobilization advances and ₹3,780 crore on land acquisition for the Pranahita-Chevella project without completing surveys or construction.
He emphasized that current flows at Medigadda stand at 6,400 cusecs compared to just 2,000 cusecs at Tummidihetti, underscoring the urgency of utilizing existing Kaleshwaram infrastructure. Only five of the recommended 500 boreholes have been drilled so far, he added, despite the project's proven role in mitigating past droughts.
The Telangana government is expected to respond to the demands in the coming week, with officials likely to convene a review meeting on irrigation preparedness for the 2026-27 season.