The ₹85,000-crore Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project, which seeks to create 19 reservoirs, recharge 25,000 tanks, and irrigate 35 lakh acres in Telangana, has reached the critical phase, with one of its lift irrigation projects beginning operations and a couple of barrages getting ready.

“It is a race against time and we are confident that the pumping of water will begin within 45 days to harness the water from the Godavari river,” T Harish Rao, Telangana’s Irrigation Minister, said.

Project cost

Explaining the progress of the mega project at one of the project sites, about 25 km from Karimnagar, the Minister said, “So far, we have invested more than ₹35,000 crore by mobilising funds through bank loans and budgetary allocations.”

“We are keen that the project is accorded National Project status by the Centre as it has a big role to play in the State economy, by not only creating about 18 lakh new ayacuts but also stabilising about 17 lakh acres,” he said.

Drought-proofing

The project, monitored by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao from his Camp Office daily, is vital for drought-proofing the State. “We have requested the Centre to provide financial assistance of ₹20,000 crore,” he said.

The State government decided to make it a lift irrigation project, pumping up water through turbines and harnessing the water by creating barrages, to avoid submersion of large areas, Rao said.

“The project has made significant progress and we hope to see at least three barrages fully operational by the year-end, with two of them close to completion. They would effectively create a large water storage facility of over 110 km on the Godavari river system,” he added.

The Kaleshwaran project seeks to tap water from the Godavari and the Pranahitha, the latter formed from the merger of Penganga, Wainganga and Wardha, and pump it back into reservoirs created along the Godavari.

The project has been broken into a number of packages for execution. Work on Annaram and Sundilla barrages is at an advanced stage and Medigadda will be ready by January. Together, they would be able to store about 36 TMC feet of water.

Power demand

Refuting the contention that the irrigation project is power-intensive, requiring about 4,627 MW to lift water and pump into gravity channels, the Minister said they would be operational for about 90 days during the monsoon months when power demand nearly halves.

Apart from irrigation, the project seeks to provide 30 TMC feet of water to Hyderabad, 16 TMC feet to villages and about 10 TMC feet for industrial use.

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