Telangana: Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme faces uncertain future

The ongoing works have been at a standstill for the past 12 months. The project saw its first pumping facility inaugurated by then CM KCR on September 16 last year

Hyderabad: The Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS), which was holding hope for the water-starved southern districts of Telangana, is now facing an uncertain future.

The ongoing works have been at a standstill for the past 12 months. The project saw its first pumping facility inaugurated by then Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao on September 16 last year.

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The mega pumping unit, commissioned on the occasion lifting 3,200 cusecs of water from the backwaters of the Srisailam project, is today left submerged along with four other pumping units of same capacity. The dewatering process is expected to take a couple of months.

The assessment of damage to the infrastructure and rehabilitation plans can be thought of only after the completion of the dewatering process that remained an arduous task waiting for machinery of higher capacity.

PRLIS is designed to provide 7.15 TMC of water for drinking purposes to over 1,220 villages across six districts in its first phase. The second phase aims to meet irrigation needs with 73 TMC of water, pending necessary clearances.

The project’s first stage successfully pumped water from the Srisailam project into the Anjanagiri reservoir signalling an end to the water travails of the targeted villages.

The notification of the assembly elections immediately after the inauguration of the first pumping unit of the project, stalled further sanctions and inaugurations.

Despite clearing legal hurdles for the drinking water component, the project has not advanced. It is alleged that the government was deliberately stalling the project to undermine the previous administration’s achievements.

The project’s cost has escalated from the initially approved Rs 35,200 crore to an estimated Rs 58,086 crore. Nearly 85% of the work was completed during the previous regime, with Rs 31,423 crore already spent.

The Ministry of Jal Shakti has assured partial funding but requires a fresh Detailed Project Report (DPR) after resolving water-sharing issues with the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal (KWDT-2).

The Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme, once a symbol of hope, now stands as a testament to the complexities and challenges of large-scale infrastructure projects. The local population continues to await the promised benefits, as political and administrative hurdles impede progress.