Hyderabad, August 27: Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister Capt. N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Wednesday directed officials to take up flood mitigation measures across Telangana on a war footing in view of the heavy rains lashing several districts.

Speaking to reporters at Gandhi Bhavan, the Minister said every precaution was being taken to safeguard reservoirs, canals, and minor irrigation (MI) tanks from breaches. He stressed strict coordination between the Irrigation Department, District Collectors, revenue officials, and other agencies to ensure no untoward incident occurs.

“Preventive action is always better than damage control. Officials must be present in the field and use their financial powers under GO 45 to take immediate measures,” he said.

Earlier, the Minister held a video conference with senior irrigation officials and instructed them to remain on high alert, particularly in Kamareddy and Medak districts, which have recorded the heaviest rainfall. He said Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy had directed all departments to stay fully prepared and irrigation engineers must lead the efforts.

At Nizam Sagar, which is handling surplus inflows of over 1.5 lakh cusecs, officials were told to monitor the situation closely, restore minor tank damages immediately, and keep sandbags ready at vulnerable spots. Farmers in ayacut areas downstream of reservoirs have been advised to take precautionary steps.

The Minister also reviewed reservoir operations in the Krishna and Godavari basins. He instructed engineers to maintain regulated releases, intensify pumping operations at Annapurna, Ranganayaka Sagar, and Mallanna Sagar, and ensure uninterrupted power supply for pumping. At Palair Dam, he directed regulated filling while keeping a buffer margin to handle natural inflows.

Emergency control rooms are to function round the clock, while district-level teams must stay equipped to deal with breaches. Engineer-in-Chief Amjed Ullah has been asked to personally monitor reservoir levels and pumping on a daily basis.

“The twin priorities are to protect lives and property from floods and to secure water for the coming year through efficient management,” Uttam Kumar Reddy said, urging officials to treat flood preparedness as an emergency task.