Proposed benefits of the Kaleshwaram project include increased agriculture yield, crop guarantee and the commercial farming of fish, as well improving the health and socio-economic conditions of farmers in the state
- The project is expected to irrigate 45 lakh acres and help produce two crops a year. It will also cater to the drinking water needs of 70 per cent of the state. An approximate 16 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) will support industries.
- The project will see at least 2 TMC of Godavari water lifted daily to the Medigadda Barrage and then transported via six more levels to Konda Pochamma Sagar Reservoir, which is located approximately 60 kilometres from Hyderabad.
- KCR’s invitation to his Andhra counterpart is significant because the two states had resolved to amicably solve disputes arising from sharing of Godavari and Krishna waters. One of the key reasons for the split of former Andhra Pradesh into two states was distribution of water.
- Telangana Congress had demanded Mr Reddy not attend as the project was conceptualised during the rule of his father, former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy, in 2004 as the Pranahita-Chevella project. KCR re-engineered and re-designed the project after he became Chief Minister.
- Mr Fadnavis had been invited after Maharashtra extended its cooperation for the construction of the project. In 2016, the two states signed agreements to solve inter-state disputes, paving the way for the mega project.
- KCR last week skipped the Prime Minister-led Niti Aayog meet in New Delhi because he was busy with preparations for today’s inauguration ceremony. The meet was the planning body’s first following election results last month.
- Asked on Tuesday why Prime Minister Narendra Modi had not been invited, KCR pointed out that his party was not part of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and said that while an invitation to an earlier event had been extended, he did not plan to invite PM Modi for all state functions.
- Proposed benefits include increased agriculture yield, crop guarantee and commercial farming of fish. The government has also claimed the project will help eradicate poverty and improve health and socio-economic conditions of farmers.
- According to official statistics the project features the world’s biggest and largest underground pumping stations. In addition, an 81 kilometre long tunnel connecting Yellampalli Barrage and Mallanna Sagar Reservoir is nearing completion. The total length of canals, tunnels and pressure pipeline stands at 1,832 kilometres.
- The project has been criticised by opposition parties in the state who have alleged inflated costs. M Bhatti Vikramarka, leader of the opposition in the state assembly, last week claimed the actual cost of the project was Rs 1 lakh crore. Telangana state BJP leader Bandaru Dattatreya mocked the KCR for inaugurating a project when it was only 20 per cent complete.
The world’s largest irrigation and drinking water system—Kaleshwaram Multipurpose Lift Irrigation Project—was inaugurated Friday by Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao. Telangana invited Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis and Andhra Pradesh CM Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy for the function.
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The project will provide water for drinking and irrigation purpose to about 45 lakh acres in 20 of the 31 districts in Telangana, apart from Hyderabad and Secunderabad. The cost of the project is Rs 80,000 crores but is expected to rise to Rs 1 lakh crore by the time it is completely constructed.
Why Kaleshwaram irrigation project is unique
This project is unique because Telangana will harness water at the confluence of two rivers with Godavari by constructing a barrage at Medigadda in Jayshankar Bhoopalpally district and reverse pump the water into the main Godavari river and divert it through lifts and pumps into a huge and complex system of reservoirs, water tunnels, pipelines and canals.
The project has set many records with the world’s longest water tunnels, aqua ducts, underground surge pools, and biggest pumps. By the time the water reaches Kondapochamma Sagar, the last reservoir in the system about 227 kms away in Gajwel district, the Godavari water would have been lifted to a height of 618 metres from its source at Medigadda.
The total length of Kaleshwaram project is approximately 1,832 kms, of which 1,531 kms is gravity canals and 203 kms comprise water tunnels. There are 20 water lifts and 19 pump houses in the project.
The massive project is divided into seven links and 28 packages and involved digging of 20 reservoirs in 13 districts with a total capacity to store 145 TMC.
The reservoirs are interconnected through a network of tunnels running about 330 kms, the longest underground tunnel is 21 kms long connecting Yellampalli reservoir with Medaram reservoir. While the intricate canal network covers approximately 1,832 kms, the farthest point is Narketpally in Nalgonda district which is 500 kms away from the source.
The project had to be built at such a size and scale because while the Godavari flows at 100 metres below Mean Sea Level, Telangana is located at 300 to 650 metres above MSL. Except for pumping water using gigantic pumps with mindboggling capacities, there is no other option, according to officials.
The project is all set to create a world record in July when seven gigantic pumps with a capacity of 139 MW each in a pumping station built 330 metres below the surface will start lifting 2 TMC of water per day received from Medigadda Barrage on Godavari through a 14.09 kms long underground tunnel, the longest irrigation tunnel, in the world. The pumps would be operating at a cavern and surge pool which also holds a record for being the biggest in the world with a capacity to hold 2 crore litres of water.
Water-sharing agreement between Telangana, Maharashtra
Fadnavis has been invited because the Maharashtra government in March 2016 agreed to Telangana’s proposal for water-sharing arrangement if a dam or barrage was constructed across Godavari in Telangana which had been the cause for acrimony between united AP and Maharashtra for nearly four decades.
On March 8, 2016, the Telangana government had entered into an agreement with the Maharashtra State government, putting an end to the decades-old differences and objections over the issue. This agreement has paved the way for the construction of Kaleshwaram project at Medigadda in Jayshankar Bhupalpalli district.
The state government has decided to start pumping water from the next month. It is estimated that for the lifting of 2 TMC water from Godavari to feed the Kaleshwaram Project, 4992.47 MW power is required. For lifting of the 3 TMC water, 7, 152 MW of power is required and arrangments are being for the supply of adequate power.
For the first time in the country’s history, the Telangana State Electricity organisations are using 139 MW pumps in the Kaleshwaram project at package-8 Ramadugu.
The world’s biggest underground pump house with 20 pumps each of 139 MW capacity has been built by Megha Engineering Infrastructure Limited which has also has constructed all the major pump houses and related infrastructure for power transmission for this mega project.
About 141 to 180 TMC would be harnessed during the 90 flood days of Godavari from August to October. Once the project reaches its full operational capacity, it is expected to make Telangana an economic power because farmers will be able to sow two crops, and thousands of crores worth of fishing industry would flourish in the fresh water in this project alongside tourism and water sports.
The Hindu reports………………………
The Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project, to harness the flood waters of the Godavari, is aimed at making Telangana drought-proof. To be inaugurated by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Friday, the project seeks to divert 180 TMC of Godavari flood water first to Sripada Sagar Yellampalli barrage and then to Mallanna Sagar from the Pranahita confluence point.
The ₹80,500-crore engineering marvel is not only unique in terms of design, but also in size and scope.
Facilitate agriculture
Waters of the Godavari will be tapped by reverse pumping and storage, thereby facilitating agriculture on over 38 lakh acres, including creating about 18 lakh acres of new ayacut, helping rejuvenate thousands of tanks, providing water for industries, and supplying drinking water including to Hyderabad and Secunderabad by creating a series of storage tanks and a network of pipelines.
By construction of barrages and reservoirs and continuous pumping water is stored in the Godavari. This has saved the Government the hassles of land acquisition and re-settlement of people.
Barrages have been constructed at Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla, from which water will be moved to fill Yellampalli and Sriram Sagar Projects. With this, the Godavari will be alive on a 199-km stretch in Telangana.
In three years, major components of the Kaleshwaram project — construction of barrages and pump houses — have been completed and the construction of reservoirs are on fast-track. The world’s largest pumping station has been set up underground and has a 81-km tunnel running between Yellampalli barrage and Mallanna Sagar reservoir. The tunnel can carry 2 TMC water (22,000 cusecs) continuously.
The world’s biggest pump house in Package-8 with seven pumps of 139 MW each has been deployed underground, along with eight pumping stations located 150 metres underground. This pumping station has five floors with each floor housing lifting operations.
The project’s mega pumps and motors lift water 100-600 meters and carry it 400 km through the main canal. According to the project engineers, until now the Mubarak Pumping Station, built as part of the Toshka Project in Egypt in 2005 was an engineering wonder.
The Kaleshwaram project will support Mission Kakatiya and Mission Bhagiratha schemes designed to provide drinking water to many villages and improve the capacities of tanks.Published on June 20, 2019