Hyderabad: The Telangana Human Rights Commission (TGHRC) has ordered the state government to immediately release 0.30 Thousand Million Cubic Feet (TMC) of water from the Singur dam in Sangareddy district, so that the standing crops in 20,000 acres of Medak district could be irrigated in their final stage before the Rabi 2026 harvest.
TGHRC Chairman Justice Dr Shameem Akther, took serious note of the non-release of irrigation water to farmers cultivating lands under the Ghanapur Anicut of Medak district, where the standing paddy crop was at a critical stage and faces imminent damage.
Observing that such inaction adversely affects the farmers’ right to livelihood, dignity, and food under Article 21 of the Constitution of India, the Commission, exercising its powers under Section 18(c) of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, directed the Chief Secretary of Telangana to immediately direct the concerned authorities to release the final spell of 0.30 TMC of water from Singur Project to Vanadurga Project (Ghanapur Anicut) for a period of 12 days.
The Commission has also called for a compliance report to be submitted by April 30, 2026.
Present storage is below minimum draw down level
Presently, the storage of Singur Project is 13.72 TMC as on Tuesday, April 6, as against its maximum storage capacity of 29.92 TMC.
The storage capacity for dead storage level is 1.01 TMC, and the capacity at Minimum Draw Down Level (MDL) is 16.558 TMC.
While the Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of Singur Project is 523.60 metre, its dead storage level is 511 metre, and the minimum draw down level (which is the level which has to be maintained) is 520.50 metre.
Around this time last year, the reservoir had a storage of 21.04 TMC, which points to the scarce water conditions which could be experienced in both Sangareddy and Medak districts which are dependent on Singur waters for irrigation, in addition to several parts of Hyderabad which depend on this dam, and the Manjeera dam located further downstream, to meet Hyderabad’s drinking water needs.
Rapairs to Singur dam, NDSA’s advice last year
It is pertinent to mention that based on the National Dam Safety Authority’s (NDSA) advice, the storage of Singur dam was maintained at 16.5 TMC in August 2025.
During its inspection on June 23, the NDSA found severe damage to the dam’s earthen embankments and revetments, along with cracks in the parapet wall and the top of the embankment, posing serious risks to the dam’s stability, according to a report published in Telangana Today last year.
“A proposal has been sent to the State government seeking permission to empty the reservoir by December to begin repairs without delay. Permission from the government is expected within a week. The State government has already released Rs 16 crore for the repairs, based on a detailed report from the irrigation department,” the report by Telangana Today’s T Karunakar Reddy stated in October 2025.
“Earlier, 7 TMCft of water was released annually for Hyderabad’s drinking water through HMWSSB, 6 TMCft for Mission Bhagiratha, and 4 TMCft for irrigation in Sangareddy district. The remaining water served ayacut under Ghanpur and Nizam Sagar,” the report read.
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