{
  "id": 11711292,
  "title": "BRS attributes drought to govt. failure to utilise available water, generate power",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/brs-attributes-drought-to-govt-failure-to-utilise-available-water",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-03T15:32:34.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu",
    "slug": "the-hindu",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/telangana/brs-attributes-drought-to-govt-failure-to-utilise-available-water-generate-power/article71541416.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) chief T. Harish Rao criticized the Congress government in Telangana for exacerbating the drought situation in the state, attributing it more to their failure to utilize available water resources than to the El Nino phenomenon. Speaking at Kagaz Maddur in Narsapur constituency of Medak district, Rao claimed that the drought was a result of Congress policies, not natural factors, and accused the government of subjecting farmers to avoidable drought conditions by not extracting water from the Godavari river at Medigadda barrage, despite the infrastructure issues being well-publicized. Despite warnings from the India Meteorological Department about the drought conditions due to El Nino more than six months ago, the BRS leader contended that the government failed to extract sufficient water from the Godavari for two crop seasons and for drinking purposes, as well as not storing enough coal at thermal power plants to meet the increasing energy demand. Consequently, farmers have been experiencing erratic power supply, often without electricity for six hours at a stretch.\n\nRao pointed out that the Telangana government had decided to allocate power generated at the Singareni’s new thermal plant (800 megawatt), planned and sanctioned during the BRS term, to Rajasthan. He demanded that the government revoke the power-sharing agreement with Rajasthan, given the rapid growth in power consumption within the state. The shortage of coal at Bhadradri and Yadadri thermal plants had also limited power generation in those areas.\n\nFurthermore, Rao alleged that the government was not providing enough power to the agriculture sector, leaving farmers to bear the responsibility of procuring paddy and other crops at the support price. Several Congress and BJP leaders and activists were present at the meeting chaired by Narsapur MLA V. Sunitha Laxma Reddy. Rao claimed that Congress leaders were hesitant to meet people in villages as they were unable to get even village roads repaired.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "BRS chief blames Congress govt for drought, not El Nino",
    "Govt failed to utilize Godavari water, generate power",
    "Farmers suffer from erratic power supply, coal shortage"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}