Pumping operations to be resumed from Yellampalli: Uttam

The project ayacut would be given irrigation from the Sripada Yellampalli Project and the pumping operations will commence in two or three days, says Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy

Hyderabad: Close on the heels of the BRS delegation’s visit to Medigadda barrage and a frontal attack launched by BRS working president KT Rama Rao over the dilatory tactics being adopted by the State government in giving water to the vast ayacut under the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS), the State government has decided to resume pumping operations under the project shortly.

After a review with Irrigation officials over the status of the three key barrages of the scheme and the discharge of flood water at each one of them, Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy announced at Jala Soudha that the project ayacut would be given irrigation from the Sripada Yellampalli Project and that the pumping operations would commence in two or three days.

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The Minister said the government had decided to go ahead with the operations of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme as per the directions of the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA). The NDSA wanted all the three barrages to be drained for interim works and to keep them free from impounding and hence all the gates of the barrages were kept fully open. He explained that in case of adding to the storage of the barrages at Medgadda, it would be resulting in huge submergence problem in the vicinity of the project.

“We thought of starting the pumping operations at Annaram barrage with the water levels touching 11 metres. But certain issues were reported with the barrage level touching five metres. As a result, we decided to start pumping at Yellampalli reservoir instead,” he said.