Hyderabad: Irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Monday said that Telangana’s water crisis can be attributed to the El Niño conditions as well as KCR’s failures on the irrigation front, saying an adverse global climatic phenomenon had been compounded by irrigation decisions taken during the previous BRS govt.Uttam, during an informal interaction with reporters on Monday in the assembly lobbies, said while El Niño had affected rainfall and water availability, the failure of the previous govt to complete key irrigation projects despite spending about ₹1.81 lakh crore had left Telangana more vulnerable to water stress.El Niño, he said, was a global climatic phenomenon associated with changing conditions in the Pacific Ocean and was not confined to Telangana. Anticipating possible water stress, the govt had repeatedly advised farmers to consider alternative crops where water availability was uncertain, he said.The minister said that the BRS govt had spent nearly ₹1.81 lakh crore on irrigation during its decade in power, but was still unable to complete some projects that predated the formation of Telangana itself.Uttam alleged that the previous govt relied heavily on expensive borrowings, including loans raised from institutions such as the Power Finance Corporation and REC at high interest rates, without generating proportionate irrigation benefits.The financial burden of those decisions would ultimately have to be borne by the people of Telangana, the minister said, adding that the BRS leadership had no moral right to question the Congress govt on irrigation after having left several projects incomplete.Rejecting allegations that the state govt was not doing enough to secure Telangana’s water interests, Uttam said its performance during the last three water years demonstrated the opposite.“In the true spirit of ensuring utilisation of Telangana’s rightful share from the Krishna, we have utilised our due share ever since Congress came to power,” he said, adding that Telangana would continue to fight for its rightful Krishna and Godavari allocations before water dispute tribunalsand other competent forum.The minister said he had personally attended proceedings of the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal (KWDT) in New Delhi and coordinated with advocates, engineers and officials to ensure that Telangana’s case was presented effectively. “We are fighting far more effectively for Telangana’s rights over Krishna and Godavari waters. There will be no compromise on the state’s interests,” he said.
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