Telangana political dispute erupts over water crisis

Political tensions have escalated in Telangana as the Bharatiya Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and the Congress party trade accusations regarding a water shortage in the state. BRS Working President KTR has alleged that the drought-like conditions are “man-made,” blaming Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s administration for poor water management and negligence. KTR claimed that despite water flowing in rivers, it is being released into the sea rather than being diverted for irrigation, leaving farmers to struggle with shortages of water, electricity, and urea.

In response, the Congress party has accused the BRS of politicizing a natural climatic challenge. TPCC spokesperson Syed Nizamuddin stated that the water crisis is a result of the El Nino phenomenon and deficient rainfall. According to official data, Telangana received 615.5 mm of rainfall during the southwest monsoon, a 17 per cent deficit compared to the normal 740.6 mm. Congress leaders argued that the BRS is attempting to exploit the situation for political gain rather than cooperating to address the pressure on reservoirs and groundwater.