Hyderabad: The state government has decided to inaugurate the prestigious Kaleswaram Lift Irrigation Project on June 21. The project is expected to supply water to 70 per cent of districts in the state for irrigation, drinking water and industrial purposes.
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has decided to invite the chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra as the chief guests for the inaugural ceremony.
According to the Chief Minister’s Office, Mr Rao has already invited Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis who has accepted the invitation. Mr Rao will leave for Vijayawada on June 17 to personally invite the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.
The mega lift irrigation project was completed in three years. Mr Rao laid the foundation stone at Kannepally on May 2, 2016.
Water will start flowing to the targeted districts from July this year. The government has spent so far around `80,000 crore for the construction of the project.
It was claimed that the Kaleswaram project has already set several records in the country in the irrigation sector and the project has often been described as a wonder by several visitors, including members of the Central Water Commission, irrigation experts, representatives from other states and the Centre.
The project was designed to lift in six stages the water from the Godavari River at Medigadda, which is about 100 m above sea level, and supply it to Kondapochamma Sagar, which is 618 m above sea level. The pump houses will lift 2 TMC of water every day this year.
The state government has claimed that on March 8, 2016, it had entered into an agreement with the Maharashtra government, putting an end to decades-old differences and objections over the sharing of the Godavari waters and this agreement has paved the way for the construction of the Kaleswaram project at Medigadda.
The Kaleswaram project will provide water to irrigate 40 lakh acres in Karimnagar, Rajanna Sircilla, Siddipet, Medak, Yadadri, Nalgonda, Sangareddy, Nizamabad, Jagtial, Kamareddy, Nirmal, Medchal, Nalgonda, Nizamabad, Jagtial, Warangal Urban and Rural, and Peddapally districts.
The state government has said that the Sriram Sagar Revival Scheme was launched based on the water to be provided from Kaleswaram and water will also be supplied to Singur and Nizam Sagar projects.
