KCR reviews irrigation in Telangana, says Kaleshwaram’s value will be known only during crisis

HYDERABAD: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday said that the value of Kaleshwaram would be known only when there was a crisis. KCR, who conducted a review meeting on irrigation projects and the water supply to agriculture and drinking, ordered the officials to take adequate measures to ensure that water was stored in the reservoirs. He asked them to ensure this by regularly lifting water from the projects on Godavari and Krishna rivers, including Kaleshwaram, to prevent drought-like situation in Telangana.

Discussing the availability of water flowing in rivers such as Pranahita, water levels in the State's reservoirs and current electricity demand, KCR said that officials should take steps to prevent shortage of drinking water and irrigation water in the State. He advised them to give priority to drinking water. The senior officials of the respective departments gave the details of water availability in the project to the Chief Minister.

KCR advised the officials to continuously monitor the water levels in the reservoirs under the Godavari and Krishna Rivers and asked the officials of the Irrigation Department and the Electricity Department to work in coordination to overcome the water scarcity problem. He also advised the officials to take steps to release water from Bayyannavagu to Paleru as there is no possibility of getting water from Nagarjuna Sagar to Paleru reservoir at present.

Stating that the water reaching through Pranahita should be lifted through Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla projects and fill the Mid Manair, the Chief Minister said that half of the water should be taken to the Lower Manair Dam and half of the water to the SRSP canal. He ordered the officials to take measures to ensure that the last ayacut of Kaleshwaram till Suryapet and the SRSP ayacut got irrigation water.

The Chief Minister asked the officials to submit a report about farmers who are sowing the cotton seeds again due to the delay in rains. He said that the officials of the department concerned should brief the Chief Minister’s office on the matter so that adequate measures would be taken to avoid the problems.

On this occasion, the Chief Minister directed the Mission Bhagiratha ENC to regularly check the water reserves in the reservoirs for drinking water needs and ensure that there was no drinking water problem. The Chief Minister directed the irrigation officials to take steps to finalise the procedures for the pumping of irrigation water projects across the state and the task was given to GENCO, the Government entity, instead of private contractors.

Ministers Harish Rao, Vemula Prashanth Reddy, Errabelli Dayakar Rao, Jagadish Reddy, Koppula Eshwar, Indrakaran Reddy, MLCs Palla Rajeshwar Reddy, Kaushik Reddy, MLA Balka Suman, Jajula Surender, Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari, CM Principal Secretary Narsing Rao, Finance Special Chief Secretary Ramakrishna Rao, CM Secretaries Smita Sabharwal, Rajasekhar Reddy, Bhupal Reddy, HMWSB MD Dana Kishore, Agriculture Secretary Raghunandan Rao, TRANSCO and GENCO CMD Prabhakar Rao, TS SPDCL CMD Raghuma Reddy, TS NPDCL CMD Gopal Rao, Adviser on Elevation Schemes K. Pentareddy, Irrigation Department ENCs Muralidhar, Hari Ram, Venkateshwarlu, Mission Bhagiratha ENC Krupakar Reddy, Godavari and Krishna River Projects ENCs and Irrigation Department officials participated in the review meeting.