Krishna water releases: YSRCP criticises government policy
YSRCP general secretary and former vice-chairman of the Andhra Pradesh State Agriculture Mission M.V.S. Nagi Reddy has accused the State government of failing to utilise
YSRCP general secretary and former vice-chairman of the Andhra Pradesh State Agriculture Mission M.V.S. Nagi Reddy has accused the State government of failing to utilise available Krishna River water to support irrigation in drought-prone regions and the Krishna delta. Also read | A.P. steps up supply of Krishna water to meet city’s needs In a statement issued on Sunday (August 2, 2026), Mr. Nagi Reddy said that around 1.8 lakh cusecs of water was being released from the Jurala project and nearly 1.74 lakh cusecs was reaching the Srisailam reservoir, whose water level had crossed the minimum drawdown level.
Telangana had already started drawing water through the Bhima-I, Bhima-II, Nettempadu, Koilsagar and Kalwakurthy lift irrigation schemes, while Andhra Pradesh was delaying releases through the Handri-Neeva and Muchumarri lift schemes, he alleged. Nagi Reddy criticised the government for advising farmers in the Krishna delta against cultivating paddy during the kharif season. According to him, paddy, sugarcane and aquaculture are the principal economic activities in the delta region, and there is no practical alternative to paddy cultivation on the 10.5 lakh acres of ayacut.
Nagi Reddy said the Pulichintala project, built to stabilise the Krishna delta, currently holds 29 tmc ft. of water. He questioned the decision to preserve the entire quantity for drinking water needs until June 2027, despite heavy inflows into reservoirs in the Krishna basin. He also disputed official claims regarding water being lifted through the Pattiseema project and maintained that a combination of releases from Pattiseema and Pulichintala would adequately meet irrigation requirements.
Stating that thousands of tenant farmers had already invested in cultivation, Mr. Nagi Reddy urged the government to release water immediately to the Krishna delta, the Handri-Neeva project and the K.C. Canal to prevent a deepening agrarian crisis.
The BriefWire