BJP leader Gudur Narayana Reddy criticised the Congress government of failing to prepare Telangana for the worsening El Nino crisis, saying it had a severe impact on the erstwhile Nalgonda district apart from other districts in the State.

In a statement here, he said the government neither had a comprehensive water management strategy nor a long-term plan to protect the State from an extended drought. The Baswapur reservoir and the lakes that depended on it are one of the worst sufferers due to the mismanagement by the Congress government.

He said scientific agencies had warned months ago that Telangana could face a prolonged impact of El Nino, but the Congress government had wasted valuable time instead of acting decisively to secure the State’s water resources.

Mr. Narayana Reddy demanded that the government ensure continuous pumping of Godavari waters whenever river levels permit and maximise storage in all reservoirs, balancing reservoirs, tanks and irrigation structures across the State. He said the government must operate all available pumping systems round-the-clock, wherever technically feasible.

“While lakhs of cusecs of Godavari water continue to flow downstream, the Congress government remains paralysed by indecision. It must immediately resolve all technical and administrative issues relating to the Medigadda barrage, operate the Kannepalli Pump House continuously whenever river levels permit,” he said.

Mr. Narayana Reddy also questioned the government’s aggressive campaign to attract investments in artificial intelligence and data centres without adequately addressing their future water requirements. “The Congress government is busy inviting global technology companies to establish data centres in Telangana. Before making such commitments, it must honestly answer whether it can guarantee adequate water supplies to these highly water-intensive facilities,” he said.

Published - July 25, 2026 05:55 pm IST