Telangana farmers demand water release from Kaleshwaram project, stage protest in Jagtial

Hyderabad: Farmers from Kathlapur mandal in Telangana’s Jagtial district staged a protest on Monday demanding immediate release of Godavari river water into the Flood Flow Canal through reverse pumping from the Kaleshwaram project.

The demonstration, held near Kathlapur bus stand, disrupted local traffic for hours. Farmers from multiple villages in the mandal participated, citing severe water shortages amid delayed monsoon rains.

Protesters said the agricultural season had already begun, but poor rainfall and lack of canal water had crippled farming activity. They warned that without timely irrigation support, standing crops were at risk of failure.

The farmers urged the state government to release water from the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation system to protect their ongoing cultivation. Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leaders publicly backed the protest, declaring full support for the farmers’ demands.