CM directs officials to start Kaleshwaram barrage restoration in December
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has instructed officials to follow expert recommendations for repairing the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has ordered officials to begin restoration work on the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages of the Kaleshwaram project in December, according to The Hindu. He directed that the repairs must strictly adhere to the advice of national-level experts and the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA).
During a review meeting in Hyderabad, the Chief Minister requested that final approvals for the project be secured by the end of November. Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy and senior officials presented a restoration plan estimated at approximately ₹4,193 crore.
Under the proposed plan, the government will pay for additional works, while the construction agencies will cover the costs of fixing existing defects. The NDSA has advised that the gates of the Annaram and Sundilla barrages, which have structural defects, should remain open.
Addressing water usage, Mr. Reddy stated that the government has used the Devadula and Sitarama lift irrigation schemes to prevent Godavari water from being wasted. He noted that the average annual water lifted through Devadula rose from 9.57 tmc ft under the previous administration to 18.13 tmc ft over the last three years.
The Chief Minister added that by October this year, the combined water utilisation through the two schemes reached 24.81 tmc ft, consisting of 16.71 tmc ft from Devadula and 8.10 tmc ft from Sitarama. He also remarked that the state would have avoided certain drought difficulties if the previous government had completed the Pranahita project and built a barrage at Tummidihatti.