Kaleshwaram: How Telangana lifted a river and stunned the world

Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project transformed Telangana’s landscape and drew global acclaim for lifting Godavari water across 18 lakh acres. Lauded by National Geographic and ASCE, KLIP became a global model of engineering despite facing operational and structural challenges

Hyderabad: For Telangana, the inauguration of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) marked a historic moment, one of pride, ambition, and engineering brilliance. It stood as a testament to how a vision forged in adversity could reshape a landscape and capture the world’s imagination.

Scientists and engineers across the globe had studied its design, while policymakers from arid and drought-prone regions sought to replicate its model. KLIP, hailed by multiple national and international agencies, was more than an irrigation project. It became a symbol of what humanity could achieve by lifting a river.

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With an expansive network of 1,832 km of irrigation canals, 203 km of tunnels, and 1,531 km of gravity canals, KLIP was the world’s largest multi-stage lift irrigation system. It lifted Godavari River water from 90 metres to 618 metres, irrigating over 18 lakh acres across 20 districts—a feat that drew widespread global recognition, including a prestigious feature in National Geographic World.

In 2023, National Geographic World ran an in-depth cover story titled “Lifting a River: The Kaleshwaram Miracle”, highlighting KLIP’s engineering prowess and socio-economic impact. It noted that the project, completed in just four years, had transformed Telangana from a drought-hit region into India’s new rice bowl, with paddy production rising from 3 million tonnes in 2015 to 15 million tonnes.

The story showcased the project’s 22 pump houses, 19 substations, and the world’s longest irrigation tunnel—an engineering marvel spanning 14.09 km. But more than just numbers, it brought out the human story: farmers from Bhupalpally shared how KLIP’s waters revived their once-barren fields and enabled two cropping cycles a year.

The article quoted the then IT Minister K T Rama Rao, who had presented the project at the World Environmental and Water Resources Congress. There, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) described KLIP as “an enduring symbol of engineering progress.” Rao received ASCE’s recognition in Nevada, marking an international acknowledgement of Telangana’s engineering feat.

Beyond irrigation, the project had supplied 30 TMC of drinking water to Hyderabad and 10 TMC to rural villages—effectively ending decades of chronic water scarcity in the region.

The project also fostered international collaboration, with Indian firms working alongside global engineering majors such as Siemens and Xylem—partnerships widely acknowledged in national and international media.

Experts pointed out that all mega projects of such scale—like dams, barrages, or lift irrigation systems—inevitably faced structural or operational challenges. KLIP’s issues, they noted, should not be seen in isolation. Similar challenges had occurred in projects like the Narmada Valley Development, but were overcome through sustained technical diligence.

Former Central Water Commission (CWC) chairman, who had in-depth knowledge of the Godavari basin, observed that such projects required meticulous planning to manage risks such as extreme weather events, structural fatigue, or inaccurate geological surveys.