KALWAKURTHY LIFT IRRIGATION SCHEMES LAUNCHED BY TS MINISTER HARISH RAO

Irrigation Minister for the state of Telangana Mr.T. Harish Rao recently commissioned two more lifts of the three-stage Mahatma Gandhi Kalwakurthy lift irrigation scheme. This move will round off the 11-year-old project to irrigate 3.6 lakh acres in Mahabubnagar district.

Addressing a meeting at Jonnalaboguda, he praised Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao saying that the project would not have started without the CM’s effort. The engineering officials had taken up a trial run of lift-3 at Gudipalli in the last four days. The lift-1 at Elluru became operational in 2012 to irrigate 13,000 acres. Water from this lift was carried to lift-2 at Jonnalaboguda by gravity and thereafter to lift-3.

The branch canal from Jonnalaboguda to Gudipalli runs on a stretch of 120 km. Off the 3.6 lakh acres targeted under the project, lift-3 alone was designed to irrigate 2.7 lakh acres. But only one lakh acres would get water at present as some more works are still pending. Mr. Rao said the government urged the irrigation officials to speed up works and thanked them for responding well.

Though the foundation stones were laid for this project in 1970 and 1999, it could not be completed. Mr. Rao stated that 30% of the work is still pending and expressed hope that it would get completed in the next 9 months.