HYDERABAD: Responding to BRS working president KT Rama Rao’s threat that BRS leaders, along with 50,000 farmers, would operate the pump sets of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS) if the government does not do so by August 2, Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Friday made it clear that it was not possible to store water in the project.
The minister said that the government would use the project components upwards of the Sripada Yellampalli Project by turning on all the motors. Accusing Rama Rao of running false propaganda, he suggested that the BRS leader better change his name to ‘Joseph Goebbels’.
Uttam made another PowerPoint presentation on Kaleshwaram to rebut the allegations levelled by BRS legislators during their visit to Kaleshwaram project. In the presentation, Uttam focused on the recommendations made by the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA).
Addressing the media, he argued that Rama Rao’s suggestions were technically flawed and said that the BRS leader lacked an understanding of the current situation. He said that instead of feeling ashamed about their previous actions and tendering an apology, BRS leaders have turned up at Kaleshwaram one more time as if it was a picnic spot.
Uttam ridiculed the demand made by Rama Rao to pump flood waters at Kannepalli as baseless and lacking in technical knowledge.
It’d be a catastrophe: Uttam
Uttam said: “If water is pumped at Kannepalli, it must be released to the Annaram barrage. Currently, all gates are open as per the NDSA recommendations. Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages, which sustained huge damages during the BRS regime, are undergoing repairs as per NDSA guidelines.”
The minister’s presentation stated that the NDSA, in its report dated May 1, highlighted several critical issues and recommended immediate measures to prevent further damage to the structures of Kaleshwaram project.
Among the key recommendations were keeping all gates of the Medigadda barrage in a free flow state to avoid additional structural damage, completing necessary repairs to prevent further deterioration, conducting comprehensive geophysical and geotechnical tests across the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages and removing the first four rows of concrete blocks downstream and properly compacting the riverbed.
Stating that storing water comes with a risk of loss of life and property if there is a breach in the structure, Uttam said that such an eventuality could damage the Sammakka barrage and Sitarama project and submerge the temple town of Bhadrachalam as well as several villages.