Kaleshwaram project might take three to four more years for completion but through temporary arrangements, water can be drawn from Mallannasagar reservoir for various needs, including meeting drinking water needs of Hyderabad. more-in Telangana government aims to provide irrigation to 15 to 20 lakh acres of additional ayacut in 2018 through the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme. Minister for Irrigation T. Harish Rao has made a claim to this effect during his reply to the short discussion on progress of Kaleshwaram project in the Legislative Council here on Saturday. Work is on at a very fast pace, consuming 2.5 lakh cement bags per day, and 80% of the work has been completed between Yellampalli and Mid Manair, from where water may be released by monsoon this year. For total completion, the project might take three to four more years, but through temporary arrangements, water can be drawn from Mallannasagar reservoir for various needs, including drinking water for Hyderabad, he said. Against the 21 lakh acres ayacut covered between 1956 and 2014 through various major and medium irrigation projects, of which actual irrigation was given only for 14 to 15 lakh acres, the Telangana government during its three to four years of rule, has provided irrigation to 12 lakh acres, Mr. Harish Rao asserted. Congress faulted Lambasting the Congress for attempting to hinder Kaleshwaram project, he accused that the Pranahitha-Chevella project was announced to clear the hurdles for Pothireddypadu and Pulichintala projects. If not for the re-engineering, the project would have remained as monument, he said, and cited a letter by the Central Water Commission (CWC) which confirmed that water availability was low at Tammidi-Hetti, which was the original project site. Against 42 tmcft at Tammidi-Hetti, Medigadda had availability of 200 tmcft of water. Another letter by CWC to the then Congress government had cautioned that 14 tmcft storage capacity would not suffice irrigation for 16 lakh acres, hence the reservoir capacity was increased to 140 tmcft in Kaleshwaram scheme. Of the ?3,718 crore expenditure on the Pranahitha-Chevella project up to 2014, ?2,400 crore was spent on mere surveys and mobilisation advances. Telangana government, instead, has completed work of ?23,000 crore in three-and-a-half years, the Minister said. Besides providing assured irrigation to 37 lakh acres of new ayacut in 13 districts, the project will stabilise the ayacut under existing projects such as Sriramsagar, Nizamsagar, Singur and Kaddam in six more districts. Further, efforts will be made to fill 46,000 tanks with 25 lakh acres ayacut, Mr. Rao said. ‘Ryot suicides down’ Mr. Rao claimed that the farmer suicides have come down by half in the State due to various farmer-friendly schemes of the government. Seeking to dispel the misgivings about power consumption, he said all the pumps totalling to the capacity of 4620 Megawatts will need to be run only in dry season when water availability is low. In case of excess availability at any of the barrages, the pumps will be run only partially. He justified the huge amount of loans availed for the project, saying that delay in implementation had always resulted in cost escalation.

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