Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao performs rituals before inaugurating the project Kaleshwaram.

HYDERABAD: Telangana government’s prestigious and world’s largest multi-stage lift irrigation scheme, Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS) Phase I, was inaugurated on Friday. Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao inaugurated the project by releasing water from Kannepally pump house in the presence of governor ESL Narasimhan, and two other chief ministers- YS Jaganmohan Reddy ( Andhra Pradesh ) and Devendra Fadnavis (Maharashtra).

Before releasing the water, KCR performed rituals at Medigadda barrage , which is part of the project, along with his wife Shobha. Governor ESL Narasimhan and chief ministers of AP and Maharashtra joined him at Medigadda. They also took part in the Poorna Ahuthi at the end of the Yagam.

The irrigation department has organised a photo exhibition on the salient features of the project, benefits and also works being taken up at the site. At about 11.30am, Telangana chief minister unveiled the project plaque and inaugurated Medigadda barrage. All the guests went around the barrage and other bridge connecting neighbouring state of Maharashtra.

From there, the chief ministers and governor Narasimhan reached Kannepally pump house, which is the first pump house of the Kaleshwaram project and released the water.

The Telangana government took up the project at a cost of Rs 80,000 crore which is considered an engineering marvel in terms of biggest under-ground pump houses, high power pumps and underground tunnels.

The irrigation project is proposed to divert 195 tmcft of water from Godavari to irrigate 45 lakh acres of farmland besides supplying water for drinking purposes and industrial needs.

"Kaleshwaram is the one and the only project in the world, which can lift two tmcft of water every day. Efforts are on to add one more tmcft from the next year. It has world’s longest tunnel route of 203 km and utilisation of 139 MW maximum capacity pumps which were never used anywhere in the country," said chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.

The uniqueness of the project is the biggest and crucial underground pumping station at Ramadugu (package 8) in Karimnagar district. Irrigation officials claim that if all the seven electrical pumps, each of 139 MW (Bahubali pumps) are switched on together, they can discharge 21,000 cusecs of water which is a rare feat in irrigation sector.

“Ramadugu pumping station is located at the 330 metre depth. While MEIL executed the project, BHEL developed and supplied the required pumps. Surge pool and additional surge pools of this pump house are also the biggest in the world. For the first time such constructions were made under the ground,” Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL) director B Srinivas Reddy told TOI.

Telangana Genco chairman and managing director D Prabhakar Rao said the power utilities were ready to supply required power to the lifts and pumps to lift water. It is estimated that the project would require about 7,000 MW of power once the project is fully operational.

