Medigadda pumps remain idle as 2,742 TMC water flows unused in Telangana

Telangana Government's decision to keep the Medigadda pumps idle caused a massive irrigation failure, letting 2,742 TMC of Godavari water flow unused. Andhra Pradesh’s Polavaram project gained instead, intensifying regional water politics and distressing 18 lakh acres across 13 districts of Telangana

Hyderabad: The Congress government’s decision to keep pumping units idle at the Medigadda barrage, a critical component of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP), has led to a colossal failure to utilize even a trickle of a staggering 2,742 TMC of water inflow during the 2024-25 water year. This inaction, driven by structural concerns raised by the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) after sagging pillars were reported in October 2023, has left Telangana’s farmers high and dry, with a staggering 18.25 lakh acres deprived of irrigation.

The Pranahita river, contributing 75 per cent of the Godavari’s yield at Medigadda (approximately 2,056 TMC), was the dominant source, with the main Godavari adding 686 TMC. However, the barrage’s inability to store its designed 16 TMC capacity due to structural issues led to massive water wastage. Monsoon floods in July 2024 saw Pranahita-driven inflows peak at over 23 lakh cusecs by July 21, translating to 26 TMC per day passing through Medigadda. By September, the barrage handled 12 lakh cusecs, with 6–7 lakh cusecs from Pranahita’s vast 109,078 square km catchment.

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Post-monsoon, Pranahita’s flows rarely dipped below 10,000 cusecs, contributing an estimated 500- 800 TMC in Q4 2024. Yet, the idle pumps at Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla barrages meant the State could not lift the intended 195 TMC annually for irrigation, letting vast inflows flow downstream. This unutilized water directly benefited Andhra Pradesh’s Polavaram Project, located downstream on the Godavari. Polavaram recorded a discharge of 9.93 lakh cusecs in September 2024, bolstered by Medigadda’s releases, enhancing its capacity to irrigate 4,36,825 hectares.

Telangana’s water experts and farmers’ bodies have raised alarms over Andhra Pradesh’s strategic plans for diversion of Godavari water, including Pranahita flows, to the Krishna basin and potentially Tamil Nadu via the Godavari-Krishna-Penna link. With Polavaram’s backwater spread reaching 150 km upstream, close to Medigadda, concerns mount that Andhra Pradesh is capitalizing on Telangana’s inaction.

The Telangana Irrigation Department remains divided, with some officials urging pumping resumption without storage, while the political leadership has stubbornly resisted the same. This missed opportunity has deepened agricultural distress across 13 Telangana districts, intensifying accusations of political manoeuvring favouring Andhra Pradesh.