Hyderabad, Jul 5 (PTI) Telangana Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Sunday said the state government is targeting completion of rehabilitation works of the barrages of the Kaleshwaram project by July-August next year.
It is a multi-purpose project on the Godavari River in the Bhupalpally district.
He slammed the previous BRS regime for alleged irregularities in the project and for leaving its barrages in a “dangerously unstable condition.” BRS Working President K T Rama Rao threatened to lay siege to the Kannepalli Pump House of the project with 50,000 to 60,000 people if the Congress government fails to switch on the pumps to help farmers.
Addressing a press conference here, Reddy alleged that the BRS leadership was spreading misinformation by claiming that the Kannepalli pump house at Medigadda barrage could simply be switched on to lift water through the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages of the Kaleshwaram project.
Damage to the barrages, built during the previous BRS regime, was a major issue during the 2023 Assembly election.
The irrigation minister said the National Dam Safety Authority categorically prohibited the operation of the three barrages until scientific rehabilitation is completed and safety is certified.
“The pumps cannot be operated. The pumps can’t be operated,” he said.
He accused the BRS leadership of attempting to mislead farmers and the public by portraying a “highly complex engineering problem as a simple operational issue.” Citing the final NDSA report, Reddy said the foundations of all three barrages — Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla — remain under “serious technical suspicion”.
He said the report had identified compromised secant pile cut-off walls, seepage and piping beneath foundations, inadequate stilling basins, poor energy dissipation structures, lack of water-tightness, construction defects and quality-control failures.
He said if water is impounded without rectification, the consequences could be catastrophic, with downstream habitations, including the temple town of Bhadrachalam, potentially facing serious risk.
Extensive scientific investigations are underway to finalise the rehabilitation design, he said.
Reddy said the rehabilitation work is being carried out by the Central Water and Power Research Station, Pune, and global consultant MS Afry in association with IIT Bombay, under the supervision of the NDSA and the Central Water Commission.
BRS leader K T Rama Rao demanded that the Congress government immediately operate the Kannepalli Pump House and lift Godavari waters “to protect Telangana from an impending drought”, warning that the state could face a severe water crisis due to the combined impact of El Nino, deficient rainfall and alleged government inaction.
Speaking to reporters after inspecting the Kannepalli Pump House, he said 26 out of Telangana’s 33 districts are already facing drought-like conditions, while lakhs of cusecs of Godavari water continue to flow wastefully into the sea because the government has failed to utilise the existing Kaleshwaram infrastructure.
Criticising the government’s handling of the Kaleshwaram project, he rejected allegations of corruption and demanded that repairs be completed without further delay.
“Switch on the ‘Baahubali’ pumps and provide water to farmers. If the government fails to act, we will march to Kannepalli, lay siege to the Pump House and ensure that the pumps are switched on,” he said.
Rama Rao claimed that the project, built under the leadership of former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, remained fully capable of supplying water if operated properly. PTI SJR SSK
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.