HYDERABAD

Minister for Irrigation and Civil Supplies N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has asked the authorities to make a judicious balance between safeguarding drinking water requirements and meeting the irrigation needs, particularly in view of the prevailing El Niño conditions and uncertainty over rainfall during the remaining monsoon period.

Reviewing reservoir levels and irrigation prospects for the remaining Kharif season here on Tuesday, the Minister said water management during the coming months must be guided by prudence, scientific assessment and actual availability, rather than optimistic assumptions about future rainfall.

He said drinking-water security would remain a top priority, he stressed that it should not result in withholding irrigation water where reservoirs and other dependable sources had adequate supplies. “Our approach must be judicious. We have to protect drinking-water requirements while ensuring that water available beyond those requirements reaches standing crops.”

Stating that every release must be based on actual usable storage, dependable inflows and a realistic assessment of rainfall, the Minister said major reservoirs in the State have about 74.57% water storage against the full capacity. In the Krishna basin, the water storage was 746.12 tmc ft against full capacity of 973.68 tmc ft, while in the Godavari basin, the water holding in reservoirs was 208.38 tmc ft against full capacity of 306.20 tmc ft.

The water storage in Nagarjunasagar was 53%, 164 tmc ft out of its full capacity of 312 tmc ft and it was not sufficient to meet the needs of the Left Canal which serves 6.4 lakh acres ayacut in Nalgonda, Suryapet and Khammam districts in the State. He cautioned officials against presenting an overly optimistic picture based only on gross storage percentages.

“Every assessment should clearly show gross capacity, live storage, usable water, committed requirements and the quantity actually available for irrigation,” he said, and told them to compare the 2025 and 2026 storage and inflow positions and not assume heavy inflows during September and October.

Singur repairs

The Minister instructed the officials to give priority to repairs and strengthening works of Singur dam. He asked engineers to verify its latest storage position and quickly resolve the technical issues affecting the reservoir. On the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel works, the Minister was informed that excavation was progressing from both the inlet and outlet sides.

Inter-State issues

The Minister reviewed Telangana’s position in ongoing inter-State water disputes too, including cases before the tribunal and the Supreme Court. Senior irrigation, engineering and legal officials were told to prepare a concise note on tribunal proceedings, Supreme Court cases, Krishna water operations, power generation and the jurisdiction of the Krishna River Management Board.

Published - August 18, 2026 08:38 pm IST