Irrigation gets major boost, SRSP flood canal gets a lift

HYDERABAD: The state cabinet on Saturday took a major decision on the irrigation front with regard to the use of the Sriram Sagar Project's flood flow canal that will not only improve water availability in SRSP but also help stabilise ayacut in several districts under various irrigation schemes of the government.
Chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao approved administrative sanction for the project which will be completed at a cost of 1,067 crore.
This envisages transportation of one thousand million cubic feet of water a day for 60 days a year from the link between Yellampalli and Mid-Manair projects to SRSP reservoir using the SRSP flood flow canal.
While the original plans included use of 2 TMCft of water to be carried from Kaleswaram to Yellampalli and Mid-Manair, Saturday's approval adds additional capacity for transportation and storage of more water at SRSP. The lift irrigation scheme approved on Saturday involves three pump houses that can lift water over three sections of the SRSP flood flow canal.
"This is a reverse pumping system that will take water from Yellampalli-Mid-Manair link that is part of the Kaleswaram project and carry it to be stored at SRSP.
When Sriram Sagar project is in flood, then the canal will serve its original purpose of taking the excess water from SRSP by gravity to mid-Manair for meeting irrigation and drinking water needs of several districts," an irrigation department official explained.
In addition to adding to supplies of the drinking water needs of the people in the state, Sriram Sagar Project approved by the state government on Saturday is expected to help irrigate additional acreage of land in Warangal, Nizamabad and other districts.