Telangana: Kaleshwaram commences pumping operations as Pranahita comes alive

Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS), the world’s largest lift irrigation project, is up and running, with all 13 pumps of the project's Link-1 starting to lift water

Hyderabad: The Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS), the world’s largest lift irrigation project, is up and running, with all 13 pumps of the project’s Link-1 starting to lift water.

The project authorities commenced pumping of water for the season, a day after Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao’s high level review on the adverse seasonal conditional prevailing in the State impacting the sowing for the Kharif (Vanakalam) season. He had asked Irrigation officials to go all out for giving adequate supplies for both drinking water and irrigation.

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At a juncture when almost all the river basins and sub-basins remained dry due to deficient rainfall in their catchment, the Pranahita River came alive, bringing the first inflows of the year supporting the mega Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project.

The Pranahita sub-basin is the seventh largest in India. Normal rainfall was registered in its catchment in the last week of June. Medigadda received some 6500 cusecs from the river, a tributary of Godavari, four days ago.

The inflows from Pranahita rose to 27,000 cusecs on July 3 before falling to 18,000 cusecs on Tuesday. The initial flow helped in building up the storage levels at Medigadda (Lakshmi) Barrage before starting pumping from the barrage. Six of the pumps at the barrage were put to use lifting 12,708 cusecs.

“We have started the season on a positive note. Once the inflows start from Pranahita, we need not worry any more. The beauty of Pranahita River is that once the first flows of the year start from the river, it would not go down below 10,000 cusecs at any point of time till the end of the season. That is the major dependable source of Lakshmi Barrage,” KLIS Engineer-in-Chief N Venkateswarlu said.

Link-1 of the KLIS has three barrages – Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla. Water being lifted from Medigadda will help building the storage levels at Annaram, named Saraswati Barrage. Four pumps have become operational at Annaram Barrage yielding 11,724 cusecs. Three pumps were made operational at Sundilla Barrage (Parvathi Barrage) discharging 7,830 cusecs.

The water drawn from all three stages of KLIS Link-1 is being pumped into Sripada Yellampalli project, from where water is to be given to some 37000 acres of new and existing ayacut in 21 districts.

Water was being pumped into the Mid Manair and from there, to Ranganayaka Sagar. The priority is drinking water as well as irrigation supplies.

“We are certain to give water to the ayacut as normal rainfall is expected in July,” Venkateswarlu said.

There is not much scope from the Babli Project end so far this year. The project in Maharashtra had less than half a TMC when its gates were opened on July 31 as directed by the Supreme Court. There were zero inflows from the project as on today, he added.

Similarly, water levels in the Sriram Sagar project (SRSP) have to be built up further before releasing water to the ayacut. Kaleshwaram water would be pumped into the SRSP as well if the situation warrants, he said.