HYDERABAD: Senior BRS leader T Harish Rao on Friday urged Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy to ensure that Kaleshwaram motors are operated round-the-clock to provide Godavari waters to farmers.
In an open letter to the minister, the Siddipet MLA recalled that the previous BRS government constructed the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS) in order to fully utilise Godavari waters. “As part of this, the BRS government constructed 141 tmcft capacity reservoirs,” he said.
The former irrigation minister alleged that even though there was water scarcity due to El Nino conditions, the government was refusing to operate the Kaleshwaram motors. He said that though there was a huge flow of water in Godavari at Yellampalli, the Annapurna Ranganayakasagar reservoirs reached dead storage. “At present, only 13 tmcft water is available at Mallannasagar,” he said.
The BRS leader pointed out that around 50 tmcft water could be stored in Mallannasagar. “If Godavari waters are diverted to Mallannasagar, it would help in providing drinking water to Hyderabad,” he said.
“As against the full storage capacity of 15 tmcft, there was only 6 tmcft water at Kondapochammasagar. If Godavari water is diverted to Kondapochammasagar, then it would provide water to farmers under Baswapur and Gandhamalla reservoirs in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district,” he added.
Harish further said that if water is lifted at Yellampalli, it would help in diverting water to Mid Manair, Annapurna, Ranganayakasagar, Mallannasagar, Kondapochamma, Gandhamall and Basvapur reservoirs to provide irrigation to around five lakh acres.
Stating that just 11 tmcft water was available at Lower Manair Dam, he said that if Godavari waters are diverted to LMD, drinking water could be provided to Karimnagar and Warangal districts. It will also be useful to people and farmers in Peddapalli, Karimnagar, Rajanna Sircilla, Siddipet, Medak, Yadadri, Medchal-Malkajgiri and Hyderabad districts, he added.