Palamuru: Telangana all set to witness history on Saturday

Constructed at an estimated cost of Rs.35,000 crore, the Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme is set to reshape the future of southern Telangana by providing irrigation water to 12.30 lakh acres of agricultural lands

Hyderabad: Telangana is all set to script a new chapter in its development journey with the inauguration of the Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS) on September 16. Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao will flag off the wet run of the landmark project at Narlapur and will address a massive public meeting on the occasion.

Constructed at an estimated cost of Rs.35,000 crore, the PRLIS is set to reshape the future of southern Telangana by providing irrigation water to 12.30 lakh acres of agricultural lands, supplying drinking water to over 1,200 villages, and also serve industrial needs upon becoming fully operational.

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The brainchild of the Chief Minister, PRLIS follows the success of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS), hailed as lifeline of northern Telangana. The officials have already conducted a successful dry run, while the wet run of lifts and pump houses is scheduled for September 16.

Though the Chief Minister laid the foundation stone for PRLIS in 2015, it could not be completed due to various hurdles including objections from the Andhra Pradesh government, cases in National Green Tribunal (NGT) and delay in approvals from the Centre. However, the State government, through its perseverance, realised the project which is now ready for inauguration.

The presence of PRLIS in southern Telangana, comprising erstwhile districts of Mahabubnagar, Nalgonda, and Rangareddy districts, gains significance catering to the needs of the semi-arid tropical zone having scarce rainfall. Of 29.28 lakh hectares in these districts, only 14.85 lakh hectares have irrigation facilities. Despite the presence of the Krishna River in Mahabubnagar, it irrigates only 42,392 hectares through the Priyadarshini Jurala Project.

With an aim to address the imbalance, Chandrashekhar Rao initiated the PRLIS which will lift 90 tmcft of floodwater in 60 days from the Srisailam reservoir on the Krishna River. The construction of the project will be completed in two phases.

Under the first phase, drinking water will be supplied to 1,226 villages in the districts of Mahabubnagar, Nagarkurnool, Narayanpet, Vikarabad, Rangareddy, and Nalgonda.

Drinking water also will be supplied to Hyderabad city.

Accordingly, the water will be lifted in five stages through pumping stations Yellur in Kollapur mandal in Nagarkunool district to KP Lakshmidevipalli village near Shadnagar in the first phase. Subsequently, the second phase will involve the development of a canal network from the reservoirs to provide irrigation facilities for the targeted 12.30 lakh acres of agricultural land and cater to industrial requirements.