Telangana: Desilting of LMD, MMR, Kadem projects soon

Mumbai-based company bags the Rs 1,439.55 crore contract; work to be taken up on pilot basis

KARIMNAGAR: Availability of water in different reservoirs has been enhanced in recent years following the construction of Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project as well as adequate rains in monsoon season. However, the Irrigation Department is unable to store much water due to piling up of silt in all the irrigation projects across the State. To overcome the problem, the State government has decided to remove silt from the projects.

Initially, desilting process is going to be taken up on pilot basis in three projects – Lower Manair Dam of Karimnagar, Mid Manair Reservoir of Rajanna-Sircilla and Kadam of Nirmal.

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It will be extended to other projects if successful. Silt is going to be removed from LMD by using hydro-cyclone method.

The Rs 1,439.55 crore worth project contract was bagged by a Mumbai-based company. About 4.26 crore tonnes of silt will be removed from the three projects in the next 20 years. It is estimated that 25 per cent will be sand in the silt. The contractor will sell the sand in the market by paying Rs 406.64 per tonne to the government.

The process is set to start at the Lower Manair Dam in a month.

Recently, irrigation and revenue officials along with representatives of the company inspected Moyathummeda vagu and SRSP lands near Kothapalli to dump the removed silt, set up company’s office, weigh bridge, set up machinery, company’s staff and labourers’ staying area.

Constructed in 1985, the original water storage capacity of LMD is 24.034 tmc. Though 2.09 tmc is its dead storage, only 1.9 tmc of water is being available in dead storage due to piling up of silt.

Irrigation officials hoped that there is a possibility to enhance water storage capacity by 3.9 tmc with the removal of silt.

About 131.15 lakh tonnes of silt is going to be removed from LMD while 247.78 lakh tonnes from MMR. 1,317.85 lakh tonnes from Kadem project.