Work for the Kaleshwaram Project across the river Godavari in Mahadevpur mandal began on Monday with the ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of a pump house for the lifting of water from the river at Kannepalli village.
Manthani MLA Putta Madhukar performed the ground-breaking ceremony to launch the construction work.
Initially, there were protests from the villagers over their displacement following construction of the project.
However, the legislator convinced them of providing good compensation and suitable rehabilitation package and involving them in the work.
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao while laying the foundation for the project at Medigadda on May 2 had announced that they would first take up construction of a pump house for the lifting of Godavari waters from Kannepalli and complete it within 16 months.
He had also said that they would construct the barrage across the river at Medigadda within three years.
Barrages would be constructed at Annaram and Sundilla also in the district. From Sundilla, the waters would be lifted to Sripada Yellampalli Project (SYP) and then to Mid Manair Dam, and the proposed Mallannasagar Project in Medak district.
Following the poor inflows into the SRSP due to construction of the Babli and other projects across the river in Maharashtra, the construction of the Kaleshwaram Project would ensure availability of water throughout the year at the Medigadda barrage.
The Kaleshwaram Project was designed to provide irrigation source for 18.19 lakh acres in north Telangana districts.
