Jurala Water Release: Telangana Seeks Karnataka Support for Jurala Water Release Amid Farmer Protests

Jurala Water Release: The dispute over irrigation water from the Jurala project has intensified in Telangana, with farmers demanding water for standing crops and political parties stepping up pressure on the state government.

The Telangana government is now looking towards Karnataka for additional inflows into Jurala. A delegation of ministers and legislators from the erstwhile Mahbubnagar region is expected to meet Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar in Bengaluru to discuss water availability from the Almatti and Narayanpur projects.

The move follows discussions held by representatives from the Mahbubnagar region with Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy over the situation at Jurala. The focus was on the availability of water, the condition of crops in the ayacut and possible measures to improve inflows from Karnataka.

Ministers Vakiti Srihari and Jupally Krishna Rao are part of the Telangana delegation, along with legislators Bandla Krishnamohan Reddy and G Madhusudhan Reddy. The delegation is expected to request Karnataka to increase the flow from its upstream reservoirs towards Jurala.

The water issue has also triggered protests in the project area. Farmers from parts of Jogulamba Gadwal, Wanaparthy and Mahbubnagar have been demanding irrigation water, saying their standing crops need immediate support. Protests have continued around the Jurala project, with police stopping farmers and opposition leaders from reaching the site.

The situation turned more political on Tuesday when Telangana BJP president N Ramchander Rao was stopped while travelling towards Jogulamba Gadwal to meet farmers. Police detained him near Jadcherla, according to reports. He had announced his plan to visit Jurala and assess the situation faced by farmers.

The detention led to protests by BJP workers near Jadcherla on the Hyderabad Bengaluru National Highway. BJP leaders questioned the decision to prevent their state president from meeting farmers and raising the irrigation issue.

The Jurala water dispute has also drawn criticism from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi. BRS working president K T Rama Rao has demanded that water be released from the project to protect standing crops. He has also criticised the detention of party leaders who participated in protests over the issue.

Several BRS leaders and former legislators were detained or placed under house arrest during protests around the project. Police action followed attempts by farmers and opposition leaders to reach the project and press for water release.

The Telangana government, however, has cited water scarcity while explaining its position. Minister Jupally Krishna Rao said the Jurala ayacut was facing a shortage and that farmers had been advised to consider crops requiring less water. He also linked the situation to deficient rainfall and El Nino conditions.

This difference in positions has kept the issue at the centre of political discussion in the region. Farmers are asking for irrigation water to protect crops already in the fields, while the government has pointed to limited water availability and the need to manage the available storage carefully.

The BJP has also called for discussions with Karnataka over water coming from the Almatti and Narayanpur reservoirs. Ramchander Rao had said the Telangana government should engage with Karnataka to improve the inflows reaching Jurala.

For farmers dependent on the Jurala ayacut, the outcome of the talks with Karnataka could become important in the coming days. The Telangana delegation’s meeting with the Karnataka government is expected to focus on whether additional inflows can be secured from the upstream reservoirs.

Meanwhile, protests and political exchanges over the project continue. With crops requiring irrigation and water availability remaining a concern, the Jurala issue has become a key point of discussion across the Mahbubnagar region.