BJP Accuses Telangana Congress of Failing to Prepare for El Nino Crisis

BJP leader Gudur Narayana Reddy has criticised the Congress government in Telangana for failing to adequately prepare the state for the worsening El Nino crisis, particularly highlighting the severe impact on the erstwhile Nalgonda district and other regions.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Reddy alleged that the government lacks both a comprehensive water management strategy and a long-term plan to protect the state from extended drought. He pointed to the Baswapur reservoir and its dependent lakes as among the worst affected due to what he termed mismanagement by the Congress government.

Reddy claimed that scientific agencies had warned months ago that Telangana could face a prolonged impact of El Nino, but the government wasted valuable time instead of acting decisively to secure the state's water resources. He demanded that the government ensure continuous pumping of Godavari waters whenever river levels permit and maximise storage in all reservoirs, balancing reservoirs, tanks, and irrigation structures across the state.

“While lakhs of cusecs of Godavari water continue to flow downstream, the Congress government remains paralysed by indecision. It must immediately resolve all technical and administrative issues relating to the Medigadda barrage, operate the Kannepalli Pump House continuously whenever river levels permit,” Reddy said.

The BJP leader also questioned the government’s aggressive campaign to attract investments in artificial intelligence and data centres without adequately addressing their future water requirements. “The Congress government is busy inviting global technology companies to establish data centres in Telangana. Before making such commitments, it must honestly answer whether it can guarantee adequate water supplies to these highly water-intensive facilities,” he added.

As of this report, the Congress government has not issued a response to Reddy’s allegations.