The erstwhile Karimnagar district, which was the epi-centre of Telangana movement, is now likely to be emerge as the irrigation hub of State with the existing irrigation projects and the ongoing new irrigation projects, including the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project.
Already, the erstwhile Karimnagar district is called the North Godavari district in terms of production of paddy with the availability of water from the Godavari through the existing Sriramsagar Project, Lower Manair Dam, Upper Manair Dam, SSRSP flood flow canal, Sripada Yellampalli project major irrigation projects. The execution of Mid Manair Dam and the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation projects would completely transform the district on the irrigation front and turn it into irrigation hub, providing water to the entire State.
With the inflows remaining bleak into the SRSP, following the construction of Babli and other projects across the Godavari in Maharashtra, the State Government decided to utilise the Godavari river, the lifeline of the State, from the Kaleshwaram temple shrine site, and named it Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project.
Barrages
As part of the Kaleshwaram project, the government proposed to construct barrages at Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla to lift water into the Sripada Yellampalli Project (SYP).
From SYP, water would be lifted to Nandi Medaram reservoir and into Mid Manair Dam. From MMD, water would be lifted to Ananthagiri, Komuravelli Mallannasagar, Kondapochamma reservoir, Gandamalla and Basvapur reservoirs.
All dists. to benefit
The Kaleshwaram project would provide irrigation facilities to 18,25,700 acres and also stabilise existing ayacut under various irrigation projects in 13 districts of the State.
The Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages have been designed to store 32 tmcs of water without any submergence. The authorities are taking all measures to ensure that daily 3 tmc of water is lifted from Medigadda to SYP. The Kaleshwaram project water would reach SYP from Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages. From SYP, it would be lifted into Nandi Medaram reservoir, and from there lift 624 cusecs of water into SRSP flood flow and later into MMD. From MMD, it would go to Mallannasagar via Anthagiri reservoir.
CCTV cameras
In order to expedite the project works on a war-footing, the authorities have installed CCTV cameras at all sites so that Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and Minster for Irrigation T. Harish Rao can review the works.
The ambitious Kaleshwaram project would stabilise the SRSP ayacut in Karimnagar district and would emerge as irrigation hub with water round the year, the officials said, and added that the government is taking all measures for the completion of project by December 2018.
