Telangana Government Begins Varuna Yagam at Nagarjuna Sagar for Rains

Telangana Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy and his wife, MLA N Padmavathi, participated in a state-sponsored 'Varuna Yagam' on Monday at Nagarjuna Sagar on the banks of the Krishna River in Nalgonda district. The government organized the ritual worship of Lord Varuna to seek bountiful rainfall during the current monsoon season and ensure reservoirs across the Krishna and Godavari river basins are filled.

The ritual is being conducted by 108 priests and Vedic scholars from the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple in Yadagirigutta. A total of 11 sacrificial fire pits, or 'Homa Kundams', were set up at the site for the ceremony. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy was scheduled to attend the 'purnahuti', the concluding ceremony of the yagam, in the evening.

The event comes halfway through the southwest monsoon in the second week of August, as Telangana's major river reservoirs continue to await required inflows. Nagarjuna Sagar currently holds 145.65 TMC of water against its total storage capacity of 312.045 TMC. Its current water level stands at around 518 feet, significantly below its Full Reservoir Level of 590 feet.

Data released by the Irrigation Minister's office showed that the current storage is less than half of the levels recorded during the same period last year. On August 9 last year, Nagarjuna Sagar held approximately 310.25 TMC of water, with its reservoir level at 589.40 feet, nearly at full capacity.

In addition to the ritual, an expert panel appointed by the government on July 30 to study the impact of El Nino suggested measures to mitigate deficit rainfall. The committee recommended providing subsidies on drip and sprinkler irrigation systems and encouraging the cultivation of drought-tolerant crops during the Kharif season.

Commenting on the ritual, BRS Working President K T Rama Rao stated that while there is nothing wrong with performing the yagam, the state government must also implement concrete measures to provide relief to affected farmers.