Telangana govt plans special rituals for rain as weak monsoon strains reservoirs
The Telangana government will conduct a 'Varuna Yagam', a ritual worship of Lord Varuna, seeking good rainfall during the current monsoon season. Chief Minister A
The Telangana government will conduct a 'Varuna Yagam', a ritual worship of Lord Varuna, seeking good rainfall during the current monsoon season. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy will attend the 'purnahuti', or concluding ceremony, of the ritual at the Nagarjuna Sagar project in Nalgonda district, according to an official release. The government said the ritual is being held as the state looks for better inflows into reservoirs in the Krishna and Godavari river basins. It said the two major rivers are yet to receive enough water to ensure adequate availability in the state's reservoirs and irrigation systems, even as the southwest monsoon has crossed its halfway stage and August is already in its second week.
Read Full Story As many as 108 'Ritwiks', or priests, will perform the 'Varuna Yagam', for which 11 'Homa Kundams', or sacrificial fire pits, have been set up. The ritual will be conducted by priests and Vedic scholars from the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple at Yadagirigutta. A release from Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy's office said the threat of El Nino and the uneven spread of rainfall so far this monsoon have left Telangana with little room for complacency. It said Nagarjuna Sagar currently has 145.65 TMC against its gross storage capacity of 312.045 TMC, and its water level is around 518 feet compared with the full reservoir level of 590 feet.
The release said that on August 9 last year, Nagarjuna Sagar had about 310.25 TMC of water, with the reservoir level at 589.40 feet, nearly at full reservoir level. On the corresponding day this year, it has less than half that storage, it said. It also said an Expert Committee appointed by the Telangana government on July 30 to study the impact of El Nino had suggested measures including subsidy on drip and sprinkler irrigation systems and promotion of drought-tolerant crops during the current Kharif season to reduce the adverse impact of El Nino and deficient rainfall. Responding to the government's decision to perform the 'Varuna Yagam', BRS Working President K T Rama Rao said there was nothing wrong with conducting a 'Yagam', but added that the government should take concrete steps to provide relief to farmers.
He also claimed that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy lacked understanding of irrigation. The government has linked the ritual to its effort to seek abundant rainfall and improve inflows into the Krishna and Godavari basins, while concerns over reservoir levels, rainfall patterns and relief for farmers remain at the centre of the discussion. Ends
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