Resolute irrigation projects : Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao

Resolute irrigation projects

Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao

Millennium Post, New Delhi (11-06-2020)

(Telangana has absolute rights over its share of river water and has put in place various infrastructure projects to adequately use its share for optimum benefit in irrigating its lands-Editor)

            Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, soon after assuming charge in June 2014, on top priority, initiated action plan, aiming at providing assured irrigation facility to about 125 lakhs of acres of land in the state. The strategy included revival and reengineering of pending projects to suit to the needs of Telangana State and completing them on fast-track. As part of this, completion of 23 major projects and 13 medium projects were prioritised.

            Pending projects like Kalvakurti, Bhima, Nettempadu, Koyilsagar, Midmaner, Singur, Yellampally, Kinnersani, Palem Vagu, Komaram Bhim, Mattadi Vagu, Nelvai, Jagannathpur etc which were neglected by the erstwhile governments, have been kept on fast-track completion. By 2020 irrigation facility will be made available for about 80 lakhs of acres, that is, when all the projects are completed the projection would be an additional ayacut of 53.02 lakhs acres and stabilization of 25. 93 lakhs of acres. 

              To ensure optimum utilization of the Telangana share of water in the rivers, CM KCR transformed himself as an engineer and designer and spent hundreds of hours on reengineering and redesigning of irrigation projects. Prior to state bifurcation Telangana could not make full utilization of river water as per its share. The share of Telangana in River Godavari and River Krishna accounts for 1266 TMC besides another 150 TMC of surplus waters. But to make optimum utilization of this share there were no projects.

Through reengineering and redesigning, CM KCR ensured adequate water to South Telangana through Palamoor-Rangareddy LIS and Dindi Lift irrigation schemes and to North Telangana through Kaleshwaram. Adilabad district will get water through B R Ambedkar Pranahitha and Chanaka-Korata projects. Khammam will get through Sitarama and Bhakta Ramadasu projects.         For continuous availability of water, the Government is constructing Tupakulagudem Barrage (Sammakka Barrage) on River Godavari near Kantanapalli. This will ensure water availability at Devadula through the year.  

            Thanks to the initiative of CM KCR, full cooperation of Maharashtra Government for projects on Godavari, Pranahitha and Penganga Rivers was ensured through a historic agreement between these two sates. This paved way for Laxmi Barrage (Medigadda) on River Godavari, Tummuidihatti, Rajapeta on Penganga, Chanaka-Korata and Pimparad barrages on Penganga River. The agreement between the two states will go a long way in utilization of 967 TMC of Godavari water which is Telangana’s rightful share.  

            The Kaleshwaram project has been described as a manmade engineering wonder by several visitors to the project, that included Members of the Central Water Commission, Irrigation experts, representatives from other States etc. This is the largest multistage lift irrigation project in the country and world which is being constructed on a fast track as per the schedule. Water from River Godavari at Medigadda, which is at 94 Meters height from the sea level, is lifted in ten stages and supplied to Kondapochamma Sagar, which is at 618 meters height. In other words, the water from Godavari River is being lifted at about half a KM height.

            After its completion, 360 TMC of water will be available from this. Initially 2 TMC of water per day is to be drawn from this project for 120 days and thus 240 TMC will be made available. It has also been decided to draw additional 1 TMC of water (Total 3 TMC) later since there is abundant water availability at Medigadda. 45 lakhs of acres will come under irrigation under this project. In Kaleshwaram Project, water will be lifted from Laxmi Barrage, Saraswathi barrage and Parvati Barrage to Yellampally Barrage through the Godavari River course in link 1.  The Pump Houses for lifting the water in link 1 are: Laxmi, Saraswathi and Parvati. Water will be lifted from Yellampally Barrage to Mid Manair Reservoir in two stages from Nandi and Gayatri pump houses in link 2. Water will be lifted from Mid Manair reservoir to Kondapochamma Sagar in five stages filling Annapurna, Ranganayaka Sagar, Mallanna Sagar reservoirs enroute in link 4.      

            As part of Kaleshwaram Project, River Godavari water has already reached Kondapochamma Sagar. By this irrigation facilities, water is made available to lands in Siddipet, Siricilla, Husnabad, Manakondur, Jangaon, Gajwel, Dubbaka, Medchal, Sangareddy, Aler, Bhuvanagiri, Pathancheru constituencies.

Water was drawn from Mid Manair reservoir through an approach channel and lifted from Annapurna Pump House and poured into Annapurna Reservoir, thus accumulating 1.7 TMC of water out of its capacity of 3.5 TMC. From there through gravity canal and tunnel reached surge pool (Chandlapur Pump House) of Ranganayaka Sagar. Through motors installed in Chandlapur Pump House, Godavari water is being lifted and poured into Ranganayaka Sagar Reservoir which is at a height of 490 meters.  Godavari water is being released to right and left canals of Ranganayaka Sagar to fill hundreds of tanks and check dams in Siddipet district.

            The historical Kondapochamma Sagar Reservoir forming part of Kaleshwaram Project, was formally inaugurated on May 29, by CM KCR in the presence of Tridandi China Jeeyar Swamy. Motors in the Markook Pump House were switched on by KCR heralding release of River Godavari waters in to Kondapochamma Sagar Reservoir through lift. From Laxmi Barrage (Medigadda) on Godavari in 10 stages of lift, water will reach Kondapochamma Sagar Reservoir of 15 TMC capacity, which is at a height of 618 meters.

            Sitarama Project works were formally grounded by CM KCR on February 16, 2016 by way of laying foundation stone at Rollapadu Village of Tekulapalli mandal, in Ellendu constituency of Khammam district. Bhakta Ramadasu Lift irrigation Project for which foundation stone was laid on February 16, 2016 by CM KCR was completed in a record time of 11 months. Pipelines, pumphouse, approach channel, sub stations construction for this project was taken up parallelly. Project was formally inaugurated by CM KCR on January 31, 2017. Through this project 58,000 acres of lands in Tirumalayapalem, Kusumanchi, Nela Kondapalli, Mudigonda, Khammam Rural, Mahaboobabad Mandals are brought under irrigation.

            Seetamma Sagar Multipurpose Project is coming up at Ammagaripally village in Ashwapuram Mandal of Bhadradri Kothagudem District on Godavari River 200 metres downstream of existing Dummugudem Anicut. Works are on fast-track on Palamoor-Rangareddy lift irrigation scheme which is a boon to erstwhile Mahbubnagar, Rangareddy and Nalgonda districts.

Government also decided to take-up Dindi project, now named after late R Vidyasagar Rao, benefiting the Nalgonda People who have been suffering from fluoride quite for decades. Foundation was laid down for this project on June 12, 2015 and works are brisk progress. Kalvakurti lift irrigation scheme which has been pending for more than three decades in erstwhile government is now about to complete and supplying irrigation water to 3.5 lakh acres in Nagarkurnool and Wanaparthy districts. 

Revival of SRSP by way of making available water in to that through reverse pumping from Kaleshwaram was also a great success. The Telangana State Government under the stewardship of CM KCR has left no stone unturned to see that more than one crore acres of land are brought under irrigation in the state. This is the ground reality and Telangana has absolute right on its share of water and accordingly has also right to construct projects towards optimum utilization of its share. Nobody has a right to question.