Telangana plans to resume Kaleshwaram operations to save Rabi ayacut

The three barrages- Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla have remained idle since they were emptied for inspection and rehabilitation in April and May, leaving the Rabi ayacut without irrigation support.

Hyderabad: In a significant move, the State government is planning to operationalise at least two of the three key barrages under the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS). Farmers, who have been deprived of Godavari water for two seasons, along with their elected representatives, are pressing for the resumption of pumping operations to utilize potential flows from the Pranahita river, a tributary of Godavari, the sole supporting source for the ayacut under KLIS, thus forcing the State government to fall back on the Kaleshwaram project, though the Congress had ran a campaign deriding the project.

The State officials are meeting officials of the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) on October 11 in Delhi as part of the mission. The three barrages- Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla have remained idle since they were emptied for inspection and rehabilitation in April and May, leaving the Rabi ayacut without irrigation support. The Irrigation Department managed to supply water for the Kharif season by drawing from the Yellampalli reservoir at a reduced capacity of little over one TMC per day.

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The delay in resuming pumping operations has been attributed to the NDSA, which was tasked with investigating the project’s construction. Interim reports from the NDSA did not facilitate the rehabilitation of the project before the monsoon. With the monsoon now withdrawing, inflows are expected to recede.

Despite these challenges, State irrigation authorities had prepared all pumping units at the three barrages for resumption in June. They had a 40-day window to complete interim repairs before the barrages received inflows. The plan is to provide a passage for the water from the Pranahita River to the Kannepalli pump house at Medigadda.

A critical question before them was whether water could be lifted from the Kannepalli pump house with all the gates of the Medigadda barrage kept fully open, as required by the NDSA. Authorities were confident that this would be feasible as long as inflows into the barrage do not fall below 30,000 cusecs.

In the aftermath of concerns that the coffer dam could be washed away in the event of heavy floods, State authorities considered constructing a low-cost gabion water barrier structure to retain water at the pump house point without adding load to the barrage structure. However, these plans were shelved as the NDSA did not endorse the theories proposed by State irrigation experts.

Awaiting NDSA’s final report

The much-anticipated final report from the NDSA has been inordinately delayed, with the authority requesting further tests and studies to be conducted by national agencies. The State government has set a deadline of December end for the final report.

The issue of resuming pumping operations at KLIS was reviewed in a meeting chaired by Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy recently. Officials emphasized the need to make optimal use of scarce water resources, particularly the Godavari water that was underutilized during the monsoon. Following the Minister’s directive, irrigation officials have written to the NDSA chairman to highlight the urgency of the matter.

The Telangana government has also decided to approach the NDSA once again regarding the KLIS barrages, seeking a resolution that will allow the resumption of pumping operations and ensure water availability for the upcoming Rabi season.