Kaleshwaram capable of irrigating 25 lakh acres in kharif

Hyderabad: The high-end technology adopted in the functioning of India's largest lift irrigation project, Kaleshwaram is all set to pay big dividends in the ensuing kharif (vanakalam) season.

Despite the state registering deficit rainfall this monsoon so far, Live Command Control Systems and Decision Support System which have been installed for efficient management of pump houses, reservoirs and canals at Kaleshwaram which optimises utilisation of available water has come to the rescue of farmers.

Using the new technology, Irrigation officials said they have been training all inflows into Pranahitha and other catchment areas under Kaleshwaram for the farm activity. The available water in the entire lift irrigation project would help in providing irrigation facilities to at least 25-lakh acres.

For the first time, the Telangana Government was using the new technology. The support system and command control was established in October last year for judicious utilisation of water. The control system has been set up at Jalasoudha in Hyderabad and Gajwel where water flow into Godavari at Kaleshwaram project is recorded every hour. It also gives information on water levels and inflows into canals and reservoirs. This was giving good results, said Engineer – in- Chief (ENC - Kaleshwaram Lift irrigation scheme) N Venkateswarlu in a chat with The Hans India on Wednesday.

As Telangana received low rainfall in the current season, the irrigation officials said that the chances of depending on inflows from upper riparian states like Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh is more this time. Every drop of water that entered into Pranahitha and Medigadda is calculated. Similarly, water levels at Mallannasagar and Kondapochamma Sagar reservoirs, Lower Manair Dam, Yellampally and Nizam Sagar are being monitored. Engineers have been asked to utilise the information from the support system for the management of pump houses, reservoirs and canals.

The efforts made by the engineers' team, he said, yielded good results as the irrigation department succeeded in maintaining good water levels in reservoirs and canals. He said Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao was regularly monitoring and giving instructions on maintaining water levels every day. The CM wanted to supply irrigation water from July first week covering 25 lakh acres by using the available water reserve at Kaleshwaram.