The BRS and the Congress clashed on Saturday over Hyderabad's drinking water shortage. BRS MLAs from Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts, along with former minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao, visited the Kannepalli pump house and the Medigadda barrage of the Kaleshwaram project.
The BRS case
- More than 750 TMC of Godavari water has flowed into the sea since June, the leaders said. Lifting part of it would have filled reservoirs and tanks.
- MLA KP Vivekanand Goud said 10 TMC would meet Hyderabad's drinking water needs for a year.
- Marri Rajashekar Reddy said residents get water once every three days, at low pressure. Devireddy Sudheer Reddy said about 7,000 tankers were booked in October.
- They warned of a protest at the CM's residence if water is not lifted from Kannepalli.
The government's reply
Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy said the Medigadda barrage collapsed under the BRS, and that the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) found flaws in its design and construction. He said the gates are kept open on the NDSA's advice, and that the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages are being repaired with international experts, with a target of July–August next year. Until then, he said, water cannot be lifted from them.
Minister Vivek Venkatswamy called Kaleshwaram an engineering disaster. Minister D. Sridhar Babu called the BRS visit hollow posturing. Separately, the Hyderabad water board is preparing a "Green Water" tanker service from November that will supply treated sewage water for construction, industry and parks.
