Uttam rejects BRS demand to operate Kannepalli pump house

Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy said the NDSA has prohibited operation of Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages until rehabilitation and safety certification are completed. He accused the BRS of spreading misinformation about the Kannepalli pump house and outlined the State’s evidence‑based rehabilitation plan.

Hyderabad: Citing the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) report, Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy said the foundations of Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages remain under technical suspicion and claimed that Kannepalli pump cannot be operated as demanded by the BRS.

The BRS was deliberately spreading misinformation by claiming that the Kannepalli pump house can be operated to lift water through the three barrages. The NDSA had categorically prohibited operation of the three barrages until scientific rehabilitation was completed and safety was certified, he said at a media conference here on Sunday.

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The Minister said the State Government has adopted an evidence-based rehabilitation programme. Investigations include Ground Penetrating Radar surveys across all three barrages, nearly 100 deep boreholes reaching depths of up to 80 metres, laboratory testing, permeability studies, hydraulic modelling, Computational Fluid Dynamics analysis and digital twin simulations, he said.

Rehabilitation Target: July-August 2027

The Minister said testing was nearing completion and design finalisation will continue during the current monsoon. Construction would commence immediately after flood waters recede, with the Government targeting completion of rehabilitation works by July-August 2027. Until then, he said, the barrages would remain in free-flow condition.

“Preliminary findings suggest that continuous diaphragm walls across all three barrages and major strengthening of stilling basins may become necessary,” Uttam Kumar said.

Alongside rehabilitation, he said Telangana was pursuing an alternative solution by executing the Tummidihatti project. Preparation of Detailed Project Report (DPR) had already been entrusted to RV Associates, besides efforts were on to initiate dialogue with Maharashtra government, he said.

Preparing for El Nino

Admitting that El Nino could weaken the southwest monsoon by 35 per cent, the Minister said the agriculture department had already issued crop advisories. The Government was preparing contingency plans for irrigation, drinking water and disaster management, he added.