Telangana scripts history again with Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme

It all began on June 11, 2015, when Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao laid foundation for the PRLI scheme. The PRLI is planned to be executed in two phases. Under Phase – I, drinking water will be provided to 1226 villages in 70 mandals, while Phase – II is planned for addressing irrigation requirements in drought-prone districts.

Hyderabad: After lifting River Godavari through Kaleshwaram, the world’s largest lift irrigation project, Telangana is now scripting history again by lifting River Krishna through the Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation (PRLI) scheme.

Having successfully transformed the north Telangana region into a fertile landscape, the State government has embarked on the herculean task of changing the south Telangana countryside into a carpet of lush green fields, besides fulfilling drinking water and industrial requirements.

---

Parched lands of about 10 lakh acres in erstwhile Mahabubnagar and 2.50 lakh acres in Rangareddy and Nalgonda districts will turn fertile through PRLIS.

The plan is to lift River Krishna from 250 metres to almost 670m above sea level. Again, a task, which other State governments could only envisage on papers, is being made a reality in Telangana.

It all began on June 11, 2015, when Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao laid foundation for the PRLI scheme. The PRLI is planned to be executed in two phases. Under Phase – I, drinking water will be provided to 1226 villages in 70 mandals, while Phase – II is planned for addressing irrigation requirements in drought-prone districts.

As part of Phase I, six balancing reservoirs, including Anjanagiri (Narlapur), Veeranjaneya (Yedula), Venkatadri (Vattem), Kurumurthyraya (Karivena), Udandapur and KP Lakshmidevipally are being constructed. This also involves construction of five stages of lifting of 90 tmc during the flood season from the foreshore of Srisailam reservoir on River Krishna.

Easier said than done

This is not an easy task. River Krishna traverses through erstwhile Mahabubnagar district covering 240 km with an elevation ranging between 240 metres above mean sea level (MAMSL) to 300 MAMSL whereas the general ground level of cultivable land ranges between 270 MAMSL to 660 MAMSL.

Krishna water can be harnessed for drinking water to 1226 villages in 70 mandals and developing irrigation potential in the drought prone districts of Mahabubnagar, Narayanpet, Rangareddy, Vikarabad, Nagarkurnool and Nalgonda through a lift irrigation system.
Accordingly, works are now being taken up to lift water from Srisailam Reservoir at 250m to KP Lakshmideviaplly Reservoir at a height of nearly 670m. This will be done in steps.

To begin with, water will be lifted from Srisailam reservoir to Anjanagiri (Narlapur) reservoir using eight 145MW capacity pumps through tunnels. These pumps can lift nearly two tmcft a day.

From Anjanagiri reservoir, water will be lifted to Veeranjaneya reservoir, Venkatadri reservoir, Kurumurthraya Reservoir, Udandapur Reservoir and finally into KP Lakshmidevipally reservoir.

At present, the State government has completed works pertaining to approach channels, pump houses, surge pools, open canals, tunnels covering 62 km and three 400/11 KV substations.

Under Phase-II, works have been conceived to harness water stored in the reservoirs to irrigate a command area of 4,97,976 hectares of upland areas covered under the 1,226 villages by constructing 13 main canals.

All set for dry run

Having secured the Environmental Clearance for PRLI, the State government is now gearing up to conduct dry runs of the pump houses of Anjanagiri reservoir. If things go as planned by the irrigation department, the operations will commence by the end of August.
Political challenges

In addition to geographical challenges in executing the works at ground level, the State government had to encounter several political challenges and thwart conspiracies. After the BRS government came to power, the Chief Minister redesigned the entire scheme. The ayacut, which was planned by the past government to cover 8.8 lakh acres, was increased to 12.30 lakh acres. Further, the intake point was relocated to Srisailam project.

Opposition parties tried their best to stall the works at every stage. As many as 40 cases were filed in the courts, besides a few before the National Green Tribunal, alleging that works were being executed without necessary permissions. A senior Congress leader had even approached the Supreme Court and filed a petition.

If this was one side of the coin, on the other end, the BJP-led Centre deliberately delayed the River Krishna water sharing dispute between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. To make matters worse, the Centre issued a River Board gazette and PRLIS was included in the list of projects that lacked permissions.

However, after the State submitted the requisite reports and documents, permissions were accorded.