Kaleshwaram Lift-Irrigation Project : World’s largest irrigation project to provide 70 percent water in Telangana

The Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme which is being built to tap flood waters of Godavari river has been inaugurated by Chief Minister of Telangana K Chandrashekhar Rao. The project is being implemented at Kannepalli village, Mahadevpur Mandal, Jayasankar Bhupalapalli district.

The scheme will supply water to 70 percent districts in Telangana for agriculture, drinking water and industries. The mega project worth Rs 80,499.71 crore will have a total canal length of 1,832 km, making it the longest and biggest irrigation system. The state government has decided to start pumping water from July 2019.

The project seeks to divert 180 TMC Godavari flood water first to Sripada Sagar Yellampalli barrage and then to Mallanna Sagar from the Pranahita confluence point.

In three years, major components of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation project — construction of barrages and pump houses -- have been completed and construction of reservoirs is on fast track. The world’s largest pumping station has been set up underground, with 81 km tunnel running between Yellampalli barrage and Mallanna Sagar reservoir. The tunnel can carry two TMC water (22,000 cusecs) continuously.

The massive project is being implemented in phases and will consist of 28 packages and seven links which will pump water into different reservoirs. The world’s biggest pump house in Package-8 with seven pumps of 139 MW each has been deployed underground, along with eight pumping stations located 150 mtr underground. This pumping station has five floors with each floor housing lifting operations.

In order to complete all the works on Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation project in a record time, construction is going on 24x7. Three barrages, 19 reservoirs, 20 lifts are constructed for storage capacity of 141 TMC. Works are going on round-the-clock for 1,531 km main canals under 12 blocks, and 203 km tunnel. Nearly 4,000 workers are deployed on day-and-night shifts to complete the ambitious project by 2020.