BRS provoking farmers despite knowing Jurala storage, allege Ministers

Ministers Vakiti Srihari and Jupally Krishna Rao criticised the BRS for politicising the water shortage and blamed the previous government’s management of Krishna river waters and irrigation projects in Palamuru to the existing issues.

Giving details of the storage position at Jurala, Mr. Jupally said that about 2.5 tmc ft would be lost to silt, another 3 tmc ft constituted dead storage, and could not be utilised, while 2.5 tmc ft had to be reserved for drinking water. About 1 tmc ft would be lost to evaporation, leaving little water available for irrigation, he said.

At a press conference here, he attributed the prevailing situation partly to the El Niño effect and said the government had alerted farmers in advance to opt for short-duration crops. However, efforts were being made to protect farmers who had already raised paddy.