Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP), is successfully irrigating chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s farmhouse, said G Kishan Reddy, while speaking at a press meet in Delhi on Wednesday, October 25.
He alleged, “KCR’s farmhouse is irrigated by drawing water from Kondapochamapalli Sagar of Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project.” He said, KLIP was aimed at irrigating 18.27 lakh acres, but has only been successful in irrigating 56 thousand acres, besides irrigating KCR’s farmhouse.
Reservoirs turn tourist spot
KLIP’s reservoirs of Mallanna Sagar and Konda Pochamma, intended for irrigation, have been turned into tourist spots, further underscoring the project’s deviation from its original goal, he said.
The project started on June 21, 2019. It was proposed and designed to lift 400 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) of water annually. However, the project has only managed to lift 154 TMCs over the past four years. “They drew 60 TMC in 2019, 34 TMC in 2020, 35 TMC in 2021, and a mere 24 TMC in 2022. Out of this, only 104 TMC was utilised by the people of Telangana,” Kishan Reddy said.
10 TMC drained off Medigadda Barrage
Kishan Reddy said that the project was found empty during a survey by Dam Safety Authority, which is investigating the Medigadda Barrage. He said, “The project is now empty. 10 TMC of water has been drained to carry out the investigation. But, there was a lack of cooperation from the Telangana government when the Dam Safety Authority sought preliminary reports and other data concerning the project.”
“BRS thinks it’s about politics, but the Dam Safety Authority is concerned about the public,” he said.
Meanwhile, after the preliminary investigation, a team of Dam Safety Authority and irrigation officials have concluded that the damage was caused as the “foundation of the central pier was undermined.”
The officials concluded that there was no fault in the design of the barrage. The sand was disturbed near the foundation and got washed away, creating a hollow. Thus, the piers sank.
It is also learned that the officials will start the restoration works after November, once the flood recedes.
