mt_logo

Mammoth Kaleshwaram to bring in water by June

By: Ch Sushil Rao

From 140 metres below the ground level at Laxmipur village in Karimnagar, an engineering marvel is taking shape and giving hope to farmers in several districts of getting water for irrigation. The Rs 80,000cr Kaleshwaram project, which has caught the attention of the nation, will not only provide water for 40,000 acres of farmland but also meet drinking water needs of the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.

A visit to some of the places where construction of barrages, pipelines and pump houses are being executed by reputed companies shows that work is going on at a furious place. Workmen, site engineers of the irrigation department and technical personnel of the companies indicated that the dream of Kaleshwaram project will be realised by June.

What is most amazing about the project is the pump house site at Laxmipur. The ‘surge pool’ is sweeping everyone off their feet. It was no wonder that governor ESL Narasimhan, after a visit to the site, said chief minister Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao’s name should rather be ‘Kaleshwaram’ Chandrashekar Rao.

Imagine a tunnel, around 100feet in height, carved out of hard rock. The width of the tunnel is 80feet and it extends to 15km. Water is stored here and transferred above ground via heavy pumpsets.

The 265km-long Kaleshwaram project begins at Medigadda village in Bhupalpally district. Water from the confluence of Pranahitha and Godavari rivers is tapped at the Medigadda reservoir and pumped overground from the Kanepally pump house. Reservoirs at Annaram and Sundilla will be used to store the water.

“A major portion of the works has been completed, which will facilitate drawal for irrigation by June. A project of this magnitude being completed within two years is unheard of in the country,” TRS MLC Karne Prabhakar said.

Water from the project will also reach Shamirpet in Hyderabad. According to plans, 30 TMC will be provided to the city. By diverting a total of 180TMC of Godavari river water, the project conceives 134.5TMC for irrigation, 34.5TMC for stabilising existing command areas and 16TMC for industrial use.

Source: Times of India

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *