How Congress politics wasted precious 2700 TMCs of water, leaving farmers in Telangana dry

Approximately 75% of the water released from the barrage, after lifting all 85 crest gates as advised by the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA), came solely from the Pranahita River. The remaining inflows were supplied by the upper Godavari, which experienced a significantly higher water yield this year compared to the previous two years.

Hyderabad: From June 1 to December 31, 2024, both the Godavari River and its tributary, Pranahita, had a combined water yield of 2700 TMCs at the Medigadda Barrage, a crucial component of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project. Despite these abundant inflows, the State failed to utilize even a trickle of it, leaving a major segment of its command area without irrigation support.
Pranahita’s contribution

Nearly 75 percent of the water flows released from the barrage by lifting all its 85 crest gates as recommended by the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) were contributed exclusively by Pranahita, while the remaining inflows were received from the upper Godavari, which had a considerable water yield this year, unlike the preceding two years.

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The failure to utilize Godavari water was the result of the Congress government’s decision to keep nearly 35 pumping units of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) idle. These units, intended to manage the project’s outflows at the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages, were left unused by the State authorities and are reportedly rusting.

The BRS government had constructed the three barrages of Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla in a fast-track mode. However, structural issues in two pillars were used by the Congress government as a pretext to halt operations. Under pressure from farmers in the ayacut of nine reservoirs integrated with the KLIP, the State government was forced to operate a couple of pumping units at Sripada Yellampalli reservoir, providing partial supply to districts including Medak, Sangareddy and Karimnagar.

From June 1 to December 31, 2024, the cumulative inflows into Sripada Yellampalli were around 355 TMCs. However, only 10 to 15 percent of this water could be utilized. The fate of the Rabi crop in a major part of the ayacut is threatened, with looming threats for the tail-end ayacut in the SRSP Stage II.