Harish Rao blames Congress government for drought, questions Devadula water pumping
Hyderabad: BRS deputy floor leader and former minister Harish Rao blamed the Congress government for the drought in Telangana. He accused Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy of neglecting irrigation needs. Speaking at Telangana Bhavan, he questioned the government’s handling of the Devadula project. He demanded that all 10 motors be operated to supply water to Warangal district.
Harish Rao alleged that Revanth Reddy had failed to protect farmers and the public from water shortages. He argued that the crisis was not caused by weather alone. Instead, he blamed the government’s irrigation decisions. He also questioned the chief minister’s remarks about the difficulty of purchasing water. According to Harish Rao, the government had neglected a vital resource.
The BRS leader said he had repeatedly urged officials to operate all 10 Devadula motors. He stressed the need for action amid forecasts of an El Niño weather pattern. However, he claimed that only three motors were running. Therefore, he demanded full-scale pumping to fill reservoirs and lakes across Warangal district.
Harish Rao on drought questions Devadula project operations
Harish Rao said he had raised the issue at press conferences and during visits to Warangal. Former minister Peddi Sudarshan Reddy had also pressed the government to increase water pumping. In addition, other BRS leaders from the district had made similar demands. However, Harish Rao alleged that the government had ignored their appeals.
He questioned why officials had not operated all 10 motors around the clock when water was available. He argued that pumping more water could have improved storage before a possible rainfall deficit. For this reason, he challenged Revanth Reddy to explain why the government had not used the project’s full capacity.
Harish Rao said the previous BRS government, led by K. Chandrashekar Rao, had built the Sammakka Barrage to support the Devadula project. He claimed the infrastructure allowed water pumping for up to 300 days each year. This, he said, could help the region manage periods of water scarcity. Meanwhile, he accused the current government of failing to use that capacity.
The BRS leader also compared Telangana with Andhra Pradesh. He claimed Andhra Pradesh had recorded a larger rainfall deficit but had avoided a crop holiday. He attributed this to irrigation water management through the Pattiseema project. According to Harish Rao, Telangana’s rainfall deficit stood at 12 to 13 per cent. By contrast, Andhra Pradesh had recorded a deficit of around 25 per cent.
Harish Rao argued that Telangana had received more rainfall than Andhra Pradesh but still faced drought-related problems. He blamed the Congress government’s irrigation decisions for the situation. He also demanded accountability over the failure to operate all 10 Devadula motors.