After the world’s largest multi-stage lift irrigation project – Kaleshwaram Project, Telangana is now home to the country’s second-largest lift irrigation project – Palamuru Ranga Reddy Lift Irrigation Scheme. Similar to the Kaleshwaram Project, this project comprises tunnels, surge pools, huge reservoirs, large pumps, and substations. The project’s dry run will be conducted soon and the wet run is expected to take place in September.
The significant aspect of the project is it houses Asia’s largest surgepool at Edula measuring 360 meters in length and 31 meters in width. This lift irrigation scheme is also powered by 145 MW ‘Baahubali’ motors breaking the record set by the Kaleshwaram Project in terms of heavy capacity pumps. Also, the highest pumping capacity of the Edula pump house is 124 meters as against the 118 meters of the Gayatri pump house in the Kaleshwaram Project. It is also the first time that nine heavy-capacity pumps were installed in three pump houses.
The project gains prominence as Mahabubnagar, Ranga Reddy, Narayanpet, Vikarabad, Nagarkurnool, and Nalgonda districts which are in the Krishna basin are in dire need of large-scale lifts for agriculture purposes. On the whole, this project stabilizes an ayacut of 12.30 lakh acres by lifting a total of 75.94 TMC of water. Once operational, the much-awaited Palamuru Ranga Reddy Project will be the lifeline for erstwhile Mahabubnagar and Ranga Reddy districts.
Key features of the project
- Lift stages – 5
- Ayacut – 12.30 lakh acres
- Districts benefited – 6
- Water to be lifted daily – 2 TMC
- Reservoirs – 6
- Water storage capacity – 67.74 TMC
- Maximum capacity of pumps – 145 MW
- Maximum height water can be lifted – 672 meters
- Tunnel length – 61.57 km
- Canal length – 915.47 km
- Drinking water use – 7.15 TMC
- Industrial use – 0.33 TMC
- Irrigation use – 75.94 TMC
