close
close
hsuses

Pumping operations at Kaleshwaram dams stopped, reports Uttam-Telangana Today

Theo

The amount of water stored for pumping operations at the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla dams will pose a threat to the temple town of Bhadrachalam and 44 villages along the river, said Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy.

Updated on – July 28, 2024, 19:04


Uttam Kumar

Hyderabad: Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Sunday continued to express the same old fears over the safety of the three sturdy structures of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project, towering high above the Godavari river, and categorically stated that the dams at Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla would not be used for now.

Addressing a press conference after a review by the top management of the irrigation department at Jala Soudha, he said the three dams were “not capable of retaining water in their present condition”. If water is dammed at the dams to facilitate pumping operations, they would in turn pose a threat to the temple town of Bhadrachalam and 44 villages along the river.

Even downstream projects like Sammakka Sagar and Sitarama project face the same risk due to huge water storage in the three upstream dams, he said, pointing out that pumping operations at the three dams have been stopped on the advice of the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA).

The government was keen to restart the dams after major rehabilitation as decided by the Cabinet. The project, which had cost Rs 94,000 crore, was now the property of the state. The state had already spent Rs 15,000 crore on the principal and interest that the previous government had borrowed to implement the project, the minister said.

Had the government completed the Chevella-Pranahita project, estimated to cost Rs 38,500 crore, the benefits would have been greater. About 18.25 lakh acres would have been under cultivation by now, claimed Uttam Kumar Reddy.

The minister referred to the fears expressed by BRS Vice-Chairman KT Rama Rao that there might be a Congressional conspiracy behind the Medigadda Dam damage and demanded that Rama Rao provide evidence to the judicial commission investigating the case to substantiate his fears.

“The investigation by the Law Minister Ghosh Commission into Kaleshwaram is ongoing. KTR should submit evidence to the Commission if he has any,” he said.

Related Posts