Canal delays hinder full irrigation potential of Mallanna Sagar

Mallanna Sagar, Telangana’s largest reservoir under KLIP, currently irrigates 1.65 lakh acres and supports minor tanks across five districts. With future targets of 12 lakh acres and 30 TMCft storage, the project remains vital, despite ongoing canal works

Siddipet: Mallanna Sagar reservoir, the largest constructed under the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP), near Thoguta in Siddipet district, has become a key component of Telangana’s ambitious irrigation and water supply strategy.

Mallanna Sagar plays a crucial role in KLIP’s integrated water network, as it supplies water to Kondapochamma Sagar.

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The reservoir is expected to provide irrigation water to 12 lakh acres once the Gandhamalla and Basavapur reservoirs, along with the Sangareddy canal, designed to lift water into Singur to revive the Manjeera, are completed. The government also plans to supply 30 TMC of water from Mallanna Sagar to Hyderabad to meet the drinking water and industrial needs of the State capital. However, the works on these projects are still in progress.

While the reservoir directly irrigated 1.65 lakh acres, it will also help stabilise irrigation across additional 7.5 lakh acres, including its own command area. It supported numerous minor irrigation tanks across Siddipet, Medak, Sangareddy, Yadadri-Bhongir and Rajanna Sircilla districts.

Constructed at an elevation of 550 metres above sea level, water had been pumped into Mallanna Sagar from Ranganayaka Sagar using eight pumps. The project included two major canals, Dubbak Canal and Ramayampet Canal, which carried water to agricultural lands in Siddipet, Medak and Rajanna Sircilla districts. While the main canal works were completed, the construction of distributary canals was still in progress.

The irrigation department had proposed to fill nearly 400 minor irrigation tanks under the project. However, due to pending canal work, only 170 tanks were filled during the last Yasangi season. Despite this, water was supplied to 40,000 acres and released into Kudavelly Vagu, Haldi Vagu and other streams, leading to improved groundwater levels across the ayacut.

Since its inauguration in 2022, Mallanna Sagar had impounded 19.50 TMCft of water in 2024. Authorities aimed to impound 30 TMCft this year, although the current storage stood at 10.37 TMCft against a full capacity of 50 TMCft. Water lifting operations were scheduled to begin in August, once the Godavari started flowing, with irrigation releases to follow.

Likewise, Ranganayaka Sagar at Chandlapur in Siddipet had a command area of 50,000 acres and a storage capacity of 3 TMCft. Konda Pochamma Sagar, built near Markook, had a capacity of 15 TMCft and served 2.85 lakh acres directly and indirectly. At present, it held 5 TMCft of water.